IV 6 



£?s; 



**•.. 



• I. 20£ 006 900 





SS3H0N00 dO Advuan 



\ 



GV 995 
.V2 
1910 
Copy 1 



Spalding's 
hletic Library 

Anticipating the present ten- 
dency of the American people 
toward a healthful method of living 
and enjoyment, Spalding's Athletic 
Library was established in 1892 for 
the purpose of encouraging ath- 
letics in every form, not only by 
publishing the official rules and 
records pertaining to the various 
pastimes, but also by instructing, 
until to-day Spalding's Athletic 
Library is unique in its own par- 
ticular field and has been conceded 
the greatest educational series on 
athletic and physical training sub- 
jects that has ever been compiled. 
The publication of a distinct 
series of books devoted to athletic 
sports and pastimes and designed 
to occupy the premier place in 
America in its class was an early 
idea of Mr. A. G. Spalding, who 
was one of the first in America 
to publish a handbook devoted to 
athletic sports, Spalding's Official 
Base Ball Guide being the initial 
number, which was followed at intervals with other handbooks on the 
sports prominent in the '70s. 

Spalding's Athletic Library has had the advice and counsel of Mr. A. G. 
Spalding in all of its undertakings, and particularly in all books devoted 
to the national game. This applies especially to Spalding's Official 
Base Ball Guide and Spalding's Official Base Ball Record, both of which 
receive the personal attention of Mr. A. G. Spalding, owing to his early 
connection with the game as the leading pitcher of the champion Boston 
and Chicago teams of 1872-76. His interest does not stop, however, rrith 
matters pertaining to base ball; there is not a sport that Mr. Spalding 
does not make it his business to become familiar with, and that the 
Library will always maintain its premier place, with Mr. Spalding's able 
counsel at hand, goes without saying. 

The entire series since the issue of the first number has been under 
the direct personal supervision of Mr. James E. Sullivan, President 
of the American Sports Publishing Company, and the total series of 
consecutive numbers reach an aggregate of considerably over three 
hundred, included in which are many "annuals," that really constitute 
the history of their particular sport in America year by year, back copies 
of which are even now eagerly sought for, constituting as they do the 
really first authentic records of events and official rules that have ever 
been consecutively compiled. 

v When Spalding's Athletic Library was founded, seventeen years ago, 
track and field athletics were practically unknown outside the larger 
colleges and a few athletic clubs in the leading cities, which gave occa- 
sional meets, when an entry list of 250 competitors was a subject of com- 
ment; golf was known only by a comparatively few persons; lawn tenni3 
had some vogue and base ball was practically the only established field 




G. Spalding 



EDITORS OF SPALDING' S ATHLETIC LIBRARY 

sport, and that in a professional way; basket ball had just been invented; 
athletics for the schoolboy — and schoolgirl— were almost unknown, and 
an advocate of class contests in athletics in the schools could not get a 
hearing. To-day we find the greatest body of athletes in the world is 
the Public Schools Athletic League of Greater New York, which has had 
an entry list at its annual games of over two thousand, and in whose 
"elementary series" in base ball last year 106 schools competed for the 
trophy emblematic of the championship. 

While Spalding's Athletic Library cannot claim that the rapid growth 
of athletics in this country is due to it solely, the fact cannot be denied 
that the books have had a great deal to do with its encouragement, by 
printing the official rules and instructions for playing the various games 
at a nominal price, within the reach of everyone, with the sole object 
that its series might be complete and the one place where a person 
could look with absolute certainty for the particular book in which he 
might be interested. 

In selecting the editors and writers for the various books, the lead- 
ing authority in his particular line has been obtained, with the result 
that no collection of books on athletic_ subjects can compare with 
Spalding's Athletic Library for the prominence of the various authors 
and their ability to present their subjects in a thorough and practical 
manner. 

A short sketch of a few of those who have edited some of the lead- 
ing numbers of Spalding's Athletic Library is given herewith : 



JAMES E. SULLIVAN 

President American Sports Publishing Com- 
pany; entered the publishing house of Frank 
Leslie in 1878, and has been connected continu- 
ously with the publishing business since then 
and also as athletic editor of various New 
York papers; was a competing athlete; one of 
the organizers of the Amateur Athletic Union 
of the United States; has been actively on its 
board of governors since its organization until 
the present time, and President for two suc- 
cessive terms; has attended every champion- 
ship meeting in America since 1879 and has officiated in some capacity in 
connection with American amateur championships track and field games 
for nearly twenty-five years; assistant American director Olympic Games, 
Paris, 1900; director Pan-American Exposition athletic department, 1901 ; 
chief department physical culture Louisiana Purchase Exposition, St. 
Louis, 1904; secretary American Committee Olympic Games, at Athens, 
1906; honorary director of Athletics at Jamestown Exposition, 1907; secre- 
tary American Committee Olympic Games, at London, 1908; member of 
the Pastime A. C, New York: honorary member Missouri A. C, St. Louis; 
honorary member Olympic A. C, San Francisco; ex-president Pastime 
A. C, New Jersey A. C, Knickerbocker A. C; president Metropolitan 
Association of the A. A. U. for fifteen years; president Outdoor Recrea- 
tion League; with Dr. Luther H. Gulick organized the Public Schools 
Athletic League of New York, and is now chairman of its games commit- 
tee and member executive committee; was a pioneer in playground work 
and one of the organizers of the Outdoor Recreation League of New York ; 
appointed by President Roosevelt as special commissioner to the Olympic 
Games at Athens, 1906, and decorated by King George I. of the Hellenes 
(Greece) for his services in connection with the Olympic Games; ap- 
pointed special commissioner by President Roosevelt to the Olympic 
Games at London, 1908; appointed by Mayor McClellan, 1908, as member 
of the Board of Education of Greater New York. 




EDITORS OF SPALDING'S ATHLETIC in tPAvv 

WALTER CAMP 

of ™S ter ° f a ^ cen , tu 7 Mr - Walter Camp 
wl ^Vm ?■ occ "P'. ed . a leading position in col- 
lege athletics. It is immaterial what organiza- 
th°A£f SUg8:eS ^ for allege athletics?™ for 
the betterment of conditions, insofar as college 
athletics is concerned, Mr. Camp has always 
Played an important part in its conferences 
and the great interest in and high plane of 
college sport today, are undoubtedly due more 
to Mr. Camp than to any other individual Mr 
athletics than any other w*?teV andTh* 1 Y 7 Htten more on colle ^ e 

when we hear of Walter Camp as a foot ball expert we muesli d ' S ° 
ber his remarkable knowledge of the game of blse ball of whth k" 16 " 1 ' 
great admirer. Mr. Camp has edited Spalding's Offic al FoTt fell r '-V 1 




DR. LUTHER HALSEY GULICK 

fn T A h ^^ adingr ex P° l nel ? t of Physical training 
In America; one who has worked hard to im- 
press the value of physical training in the 
schools; when physical training was combined 
with education at the St. Louis Exposition in 
1904 Dr. Guhck played an important part in 
that congress; he received several awards for 
„!?™°£ d W ° r ^ a . nd ^ad many honors conferred 
upon him; he is the author of a great many 

5Sw° n tu e Subject: - St was Dr - Gulick - who, 

organized the Public acb^^^^jS^SoSL^^S^TA 

Phv,t S iT t?e ? retar ^ Dr 'S ulick was als ° f °' ^severt Tears Director of 
Physical Training in the public schools of Greater NewYnrlTS- 
the position to assume the Presidency of the i Plavo-Vn^/ a ' res i? mn ? 





JOHN B. FOSTER 

Successor to the late Henry Chadwick 
-father of Base Ball") as editor of SpTld- 

3P + 8 v, 0f w ,al B ^ se , B ^' Guide : sporting editor 
of the New York Evening Telegram; has 
been in the newspaper business for many 
years and is recognized throughout America 
as a leading writer on the national game- a 
staunch supporter of organized base ball 
his Pen has always been used for the better- 
ment of the game. 



EDITORS OF SPALDING'S ATHLETIC LIBRARY 




TIM MURNANE 

Base Ball editor of the Boston Globe and 
President of the New England League of 
Base Ball Clubs; one of the best known base 
ball men of the country; known from coast 
to coast; is a keen follower of the game and 
prominent in all its councils; nearly half a 
century ago was one of America's foremost 
players: knows the game thoroughly and 
writes from the point of view both of player 
and an official. 




HARRY PHILIP BURCHELL 

Sporting editor of the New York Times; 
graduate of the University of Pennsylvania; 
editor of Spalding's Official Lawn Tennis 
Annual; is an authority on the game; follows 
the movements of the players minutely and 
understands not only tennis but all other sub- 
jects that can be classed as athletics; no one 
is better qualified to edit this book than Mr. 
Burchell. 



GEORGE T. HEPBRON 

Former Young Men's Christian Association 
director; for many years an official of the 
Athletic League of Young Men's Christian 
Associations of North America ; was con- 
nected with Dr. Luther H. Gulick in Young 
Men's Christian Association work for over 
twelve years; became identified with basket 
ball when it was in its infancy and has fol- 
lowed it since, being recognized as the lead- 
ing exponent of the official rules; succeeded 
Dr. Gulick as editor of the Official Basket Ball 

Guide and also editor of the Spalding Athletic Library book on How to 

Play Basket Ball. 





JAMES S. MITCHEL 

Former champion weight thrower; holder 
of numerous records, and is the winner of 
more championships than any other individual 
in the history of sport ; Mr. Mitchel is a close 
student of athletics and well qualified_ to write 
upon any topic connected with athletic sport ; 
has been for years on the staff of the New- 
York Sun. 



EDITORS OF SPALDING S ATHLETIC LIBRARY 



MICHAEL C MURPHY 

The world's most famous athletic trainer; 
the champion athletes that he has developed 
for track and field sports, foot ball and base ball 
fields, would run into thousands; he became 
famous when at Yale University and has 
been particularly successful in developing 
what might be termed championship teams: 
his rare good judgment has placed him in an 
enviable position in the athletic world* now 
with the University of Pennsylvania: dur- 
ing his career has trained only at two col- 
leges and one athletic club, Yale and the 
University of Pennsylvania and Detroit Athletic Club: his most recent 
triumph was that of training the famous American team of athletes 
that swept the field at the Olympic Games of 1903 at London. 





DR. C. WARD CRAMPTON 

Succeeded Dr. Gulick as director of physical 
training in the schools of Greater New York: 
as secretary of the Public Schools Athletic 
League is at the head of the most remarkable 
organization of its kind in the world; is a 
practical athlete and gymnast himself, and 
has been for years connected with the physi- 
cal training system in the schools of Greater 
New York, having had charge of the High 
School of Commerce. 




DR. GEORGE J. FISHER 

Has been connected with Y. M. C. A. work 
for many years as physical director at Cincin- 
nati and Brooklyn, where he made such a high 
reputation as organizer that he was chosen to 
succeed Dr. Luther H. Gulick as Secretary of 
the Athletic League of Y. M. C. A.'s of North 
America, when the latter resigned to take 
charge of the physical training in the Public 
Schools of Greater New York. 



DR. GEORGE ORTON 

On athletics, college athletics, particularly 
track and field, foot ball, soccer foot ball, and 
training of the youth, it would be hard to find 
one better qualified than Dr. Orton; has had 
the necessary athletic experience and the 
ability to impart that experience intelligently 
to the youtli of the land; for years was the 
American, British and Canadian champion 
runner. 



EDITORS OF SPALDING'S ATHLETIC LIBRARY 








FREDERICK R. TOOMBS 

A well known authority on skating', rowing, 
boxing, racquets, and other athletic sports; 
was sporting editor of American Press Asso- 
ciation, New York; dramatic editor; is a law- 
yer and has served several terms as a member 
of Assembly of the Legislature of the State of 
New York; has written several novels and 
historical works. 



R. L. WELCH 

A resident of Chicago; the popularity of 
Indoor base ball is chiefly due to his efforts; 
a player himself of no mean ability; a first- 
class organizer; he has followed the game of 
indoor base ball from its inception. 



DR. HENRY S. ANDERSON 

Has been connected with Yale University 
for years and is a recognized authority on 
gymnastics; is admitted to be one of the lead- 
ing authorities in America on gymnastic sub- 
jects; is the author of many books on physical 
training. 



CHARLES M. DANIELS 

Just the man to write an authoritative 
book on swimming; the fastest swimmer the 
world has ever known; member New York 
Athletic Club swimming team and an Olym- 
pic champion at Athens in 1906 and London, 
1908. In his book_ on Swimming, Champion 
Daniels describes just the methods one must 
use to become an expert swimmer. 

GUSTAVE BOJUS 

Mr. Bojus is most thoroughly qualified to 
write intelligently on all subjects pertaining 
to gymnastics and athletics; in his day one 
of America's most famous amateur athletes; 
has competed successfully in gymnastics and 
many other sports for the New York Turn 
Verein; for twenty years he has been prom- 
inent in teaching gymnastics and athletics; 
was responsible for the famous gymnastic 
championship teams of Columbia University; 
now with the Jersey City high schools. 



EDITORS OF SPALDING'S ATHLETIC LIBRARY 








CHARLES JACOBUS 

Admitted to be the "Father of Roque;" 
one of America's most expert players, win- 
ning the Olympic Championship at St. Louis 
in 1904; an ardent supporter of the game 
and follows it minutely, and much of the 
success of roque is due to his untiring efforts; 
certainly there is no one better qualified to 
write on this subject than Mr. Jacobus. 



DR. E. B. WARMAN 

Well known as a physical training expert; 
was probably one of the first to enter the field 
and is the author of many books on the sub- 
ject; lectures extensively each year all over 
the country. 



W. J. CROMIE 

Now with the University of Pennsylvania; 
was formerly a Y. M. C. A. physical director; 
a keen student of all gymnastic matters; the 
author of many books on subjects pertaining 
to physical training. 



G. M. MARTIN 

By profession a physical director of the 
Young Men's Christian Association; a close 
student of all things gymnastic, and games 
for the classes in the gymnasium or clubs. 



PROF. SENAC 

A leader in the fencing world ; has main- 
tained a fencing school in New York for 
years and developed a great many cham- 
pions ; understands the science of fencing 
thoroughly and the benefits to be derived 
therefrom. 



SPALDING ATHLETIC LIBRARY 

a Giving the Titles of all Spalding Athletic Library Books now <->. 
^ In print, grouped lor ready reference c ■ ■■ -J J 

SPALDING OFFICIAL ANNUALS 



No. I 
No. IA 
No. 2 
No. 2A 
No. 3 
No. 4 
No. 5 
No. 6 
No. 7 
No. 8 
No. 9 
No. IO 
No. 12 



Spald 
Spald 
Spald 
Spald 
Spald 
Spald 
Spald 
Spald 
Spald 
Spald 
Spald 
Spald 
Spald 



ng's Official Base Ball Guide 

ng's Official Base Ball Record 

ng's Official Foot Ball Guide 

ng's Official Soccer Foot Ball Guide 

ng's Official Cricket Guide 

ng's Official Lawn Tennis Annual 

ng's Official Golf Guide 

ng's Official Ice Hockey Guide 

ng's Official Basket Ball Guide 

ng's Official Bowling Guide 

ng's Official Indoor Base Ball Guide 

ng's Official Roller Polo Guide 

ng's Official Athletic Almanac 



Group i. Base Ball 

No. 1 Spalding's Official Base Ball 

Guide. 
No. IA Official Base Ball Record. 
No. 202 How to Play Base Ball. 
No. £23 How to Bat. 
No. 232 How to Run Bases. 
No. 230 How to Pitch. 
No. 229 How to Catch. 
No. 225 How to Play First Base. 
No. 226 How to Play Second Base. 
No. 227 How to Play Third Base. 
No. 228 How to Play Shortstop. 
No. 224 How to Play the Outfield. 

How to Organize a Base Ball 

Club. f League. 

How to Organize a Base Ball 

How to Manage a Base Ball 

o'qi \ Club. 

How toTrain a BaseBallTeam 
How to Captain a Base Ball 
HowtoUmpireaGame. [Team 
„ Technical Base Ball Terms, 
No. 219 Ready Reckoner of Base Ball 
Percentages. 

BASE BALL AUXILIARIES 
No. 319 Minor League Base Ball Guide 
No. 320 Official Book National League 

of Prof. Base Ball Clubs. 
No. 321 Official Handbook National 

Playground Ball Assn. 

Group II. Fool Ball 

No. 2 Spalding's Official Foot Ball 

Guide. 
No. 334 Code of the Foot Ball Rules. 
No. 324 How to Play Foot Ball. 
No. 2a Spalding's Official Soccer Foot 

Ball Guide. 
No. 286 How to Play Soccer. 



FOOT BALL AUXILIARY 
No. 332 Spalding's Official Canadian 

Foot Ball Guide. 
No. 335 Spalding's Official Rugby Foot 

Ball Guide. 

Group ill. Crichet 

No. 3 Spalding's Official Cricket Guide. 
No. 277 Cricket and How to Play It. 

Group IV. Lawn Tennis 

No. 4 Spalding's Official Lawn Ten- 
nis Annual. 

No. 157 How to Play Lawn Tennis. 

No. 279 Strokes and Science of Lawn 
Tennis. 

Group V. Golf 

No. 5 Spalding's Official Golf Guide 
No. 276 How to Play Golf. 

Group VI. Hockey 

No. 6 Spalding's Official Ice Hockey 

Guide. 
No. 304 How to Play Ice Hockey. 
No. 154 Field Hockey. 
(Lawn Hockey. 
No. 188 < Parlor Hockey. 
(Garden Hockey. 
No. 180 Ring Hockey. 

HOCKEY AUXILIARY 
No. 256 Official Handbook Ontario 
Hockey Association. 

Group VII. Basket Ball 

No. 7 Spalding' 8 Official Basket 

Ball Guide. 
No. 193 How to Play Basket Ball. 
No. 318 Basket Ball Guide for Women. 

BASKET BALL AUXILIARY 
No. 323 Official Collegiate Basket Ball 

Handbook. 



4NV of THE ABOVE BOOHS MAILED POSTPAID UPON RECEIPT OF 10 CENTS 



SPALDING ATHLETIC LIBRARY 



Group vill. Bowling 

No. 8 Spalding's Official Bowling 
Guide. 



Group 

No. 9 



IX. indoor Base Ball 

Spalding's Official Indoor Base 
Ball Guide. 

x. polo 

Spalding's Official Roller Polo 

Guide. 
Water Polo. 
Equestrian Polo. 

XI. Miscellaneous Games 

Official Handbook U.S. Inter, 
collegiate Lacrosse League 

Archery. 

Croquet. 

Roque. 
( Racquets. 
< Squash-Racquets. 
(Court Tennis. 

Hand Ball. 

Quoits. 

Push Ball. 

v'urling. 

Lawn Bowls. 

Lawn Games. 

Children's Games. 



No. 10 

No. 129 
No. 199 

Group 

No. 201 
No. 322 

No. 248 
No. 138 
No. 271 

No. 194 

No. 13 

No. 167 
No. 170 
No. 14 
No. 207 
No. 188 
No. 189 

Group Xll. Athletics 

No. 12 Spalding's Official Athletic 

Almanac. 

No. 27 College Athletics. 

No. 182 All Around Athletics. 

No. 156 Athletes' Guide. 

No. 87 Athletic Primer. 

No. 273 Olympic GamesatAthens,1906 

No. 252 How to Sprint. 

No. 255 How to Run 100 Yards. 

No. 174 Distance and Cross Country 

Running. [Thrower. 
No. 259 How to Become a Weight 
No. 55 Official Sporting Rules, [boys. 
No. 246 Athletic Training for School- 
No. 317 Marathon Running. 
No. 331 Schoolyard Athletics. 

ATHLETIC AUXILIARIES 
No. 311 Amateur Athletic Union Offi- 
cial Handbook. [book. 
No. 316 Intercollegiate Official Hand- 
No. 302 Y. M. C. A. Official Handbook. 
No. 313 Public Schools Athletic 
League Official Handbook. 
No. 314 Public Schools Athletic 
League Official Handbook 
— Girls' Branch. 
No. 308 Official Handbook New York 
Interscholastic Athletic 
Association. 



No. 177 
No. 296 
No. 128 
No. 209 
No. 178 
No. 23 
No. 282 

Group xiv. 

No. 18 Fencing. 

No. 162 

No. 165 

No. 140 

No. 236 

No. 102 

No. 233 

No. 166 

No. 200 

No. 143 

No. 262 

No. 29 

No. 191 

No. 289 

No. 326 



«"•"• uJSSLm 

How to Swim. 

Speed Swimming. 

How to Row. 

How to Become a Skater. 

How to Train for Bicycling. 

Canoeing. 

Roller Skating Guide. 

Manly sports 

( By Breck.) 
Boxing. 

Fencing. ( By Senac.) 
Wrestling. 

How to Wrestle. i 
Ground Tumbling. ' 

Jiu Jitsu. 

How to Swing Indian Clubs. r 
Dumb Bell Exercises. 
Indian Clubs and Dumb Bella. 
Medicine Ball Exercises. 
Pulley Weight Exercises. 
How to Punch the Bag. 
Tumbling for Amateurs. 
Professional Wrestling. 

Group XV. j Gymnastics 

No. 104 Grading of Gymnastic Exer- 
cises. [Dumb Bell Drills. 

No. 214 Graded Calisthenics and 

No. 254 Barnjum Bar Bell Drill. 

No. 158 Indoor and Outdoor Gym- 
nastic Games. 

No. 124 How to Become a Gymnast. 

No. 287 Fancy Dumb Bell and March- 
ing Drills. [Apparatus. 

No. 327 Pyramid Building Without 

No. 328 Exercises on the Parallel Bars. 

No. 329 Pyramid Building with 
Wands, Chairs and Ladders 
GYMNASTIC AUXILIARY 

No. 333 Official Handbook I. C. A. A. 
Gymnasts of America. 

Group XVI. Physical culture 

No. 161 Ten Minutes' E x e r c i s e for 

Busy Men. [giene. 

No. 208 Physical Education and Hy- 

No. 149 Scientific Physical Training 

and Care of the Body. 
No. 142 Physical Training Simplified. 
No. 185 Hints on Health. 
No. 213 285 Health Answers. 
No. 238 Muscle Building. [nine. 
No. 234 School Tactics and Maze Run- 
No. 261 Tensing Exercises, [nasties. 
No. 285 Health by Muscular Gym- 
No. 288 Indigestion Treated by Gym- 
No. 290 Get Well ; Keep W A\. [nasties. 
No. 325 Twenty-Minute Exercises. 
No. 330 Physical Training for the 
School and Class Room. 



BUY OP THE ABO VF BOOKS MAILED P0SXPA19 UPON BECEHT OF 10 CBNTS 



SPALDING ATHLETIC LIBRARY 



Group I. Base Ball 



No. 




l— Si>Al<1lnK*» Official 
te Ball Guide. 

The leading Base Ball 
annual of the country, and 
the official authority of 
the game. Contains the 
official playing rules, with 
JuYd$£ I an explanatory index of the 
^gwy^ | rules compiled by Mr. A. G. 
Spalding; pictures of all 
the teams in the National, 
American and minor leagues ; re- 
views of the season; college Base Ball, 



No. 202— How to riay Bate 
Ball. 

Edited by Tim Murnane. New and 
revised edition. Illustrated with pic- 
tures showing how all the various 
curves and drops are thrown and por- 
traits of leading players. Price 10 cents. 
No. 223— How to But. "* 

There is no better way of becoming 
a proficient batter than by reading this 
book and practising the directions. 
Numerous illustrations. Price 10 cents. 
Ny. 232— How to Hon the 



232— How 

Banes. 

This book gives clear and concise 
directions for excelling as a base run- 
ner; tells when to run and when not to 
do so; how and when to slide; team 
work on the bases; in fact, every point 
of the game is thoroughly explained. 
Illustrated. Price 10 cents. 
No. 230— How to Piteh. 

A new, up-to-date book. Its contents 
are the practical teaching of men who 
have reached the top as pitchers, and 
who know how to impart a knowledge 
of their art. All the big leagues' 
pitchers are shown. Price 10 cents. 
No. 229— How to Catch. 

Every boy who has hopes of being a 
clever catcher should read how 
known players cover their position. 
Pictures of all the noted catchers in 
the big leagues. Price 10 cents. 

No. 225— How to Play First 
I- Base. 

Illustrated with pictures of all the 
prominent first basemen. PricelOcents. 
No. 226— How to Play Second 
Base. 
The ideas of the best second basemen 
have been incorporated in this book for 
the especial benefit of boys who 
to know the fine points of play at this 
point of the diamond. Price 10 cents. 
No. 22T— How to Play Third 
Base. 
Third base is, in some respects, the 
most important of the infield. All the 
points explained. Price 10 cents. 
No. 22S— How to Play Short* 
stop. 
Shortstop is one of the hardest posi- 
tions on the infield to fill, and quick 
thought and quick action are necessary 
for a player who expects to make good 
as a shortstop. Ulus. PricelOcents. 
No. 224— How to Play the 
Outfield. 
An invaluable guide for the out* 
fielder. Price 10 cents. 
No. 231— How to Coach; How 
to Captain a Team; How 
to Manage a Team; How 
to Umpire; How to Or- 
firniiize a Leasrae; Tech- 
nical Terms of Base Ball. 
A useful guide. Price 10 cents. 



No . 210— Ready Reckoner of 
Base Ball Percentages. 

To supply a demand for a book which 
would show the percentage of clubs 

thout recourse to the arduous work of 
figuring. the publishers hadthese tables 
compiled by an expert Price 10 cents, 

BASK BALL AUXILIARIES. 
No. 1A — Spalding's Ottlcinl 
Bnse Bull Record. 

Something new in Base Ball. Con- 
tains records of all kinds from the be- 
ginning of the National League and 
official averages of all professional or- 
ganizations for past season. 10 cents. 

No. 310— Minor League Base 
Ball Guide. V 

The minors' own guide. Edited by 
President T, H. Murnane. of the New 
England League. Price 10 cents. 
No. 320— Official Handbook 
of the National Leuurue 
of Professional Base Bull 
Clubs. 
Contains the Constitution, By-Laws. 
Official Rules. Averages, and schedule 
of the National League for the current 
year, together with list of club officers 
and reports of the annual meetings of 
the League. Price 10 cents. 

No. 321— Official Handbook 
National Playground Bull 
Association. 

This game is specially adapted for 
playgrounds, parks, etc., is spreading 
rapidly. The book contains a descrip- 
tion of the game, rules and officers. 
Price 10 cents. 

Group n. Foot Ball 

No. 2— SpuIdiiiK's Official 
Foot Ball Guide* 

Edited by Walter Camp. 
Contains the new rules, 
with diagram of field; All- 
America teams as selected 
by the leading authorities; 
reviews of the game from 
various sections of the 
country: scores; pictures. 
Price 10 cents. 
No. 334— Code of the Foot 
Ball Rules. 
This book is meant for the use of 
Officials, to help them to refresh their 
memories before a game and to afford 
them a quick means of ascertaining a 
point during a game. It also gives a 
ready means of finding a rule in the 
Official Rule Book, and is of great help 
to a player in studying the Rules. 
Compiled by C.W.Shor^, Harvard, 1908. 
Price 10 cents. 

No. 324— How to Play Foot 
Ball. 
Edited by Walter Camp, of Yale. 
Everything that a beginner wants to 
know and many points that an expert 
will be glad to learn. Snapshots of 
leading teams and players in action, 
with comments by Walter Camp. 
Price 10 cents. 

No. 2 A— Spa ldlnu '» Official 
Association Soccer Foot 
Ball Guide. 
A complete and up-to-, 
date guide to the "'Soccer" 
game in the United States, 
containing instructions for 
playing tHte game, official 
rules, and interesting 
news from alt parts of the 
country. Illustrated. Price 
10 cents. 





No. 2SC— How to Play Soc- 
cer. " 
How each position should be played, 
written by the best player in England 
in his respective position, and illus- 
trated with full-page photographs of 
players in action. Price 10 cents. 

FOOT BALL AUXILIARIES. 

No. 332— SpuldlnK'H Official 
Canadian Foot Ball 
Guide. 

The official book of the game in Can* 
ada. Price 10 cents. 

Group in. Cricket 

No. S— Spaldin*r*« Official 
Cricket Guide. 

The most complete year 
book of the game that has 
ever been published in 
America. Reports of 
special matches, official 
rules and pictures of all 
the leading teams. Price 
10 cents. 

No. 277— CrieUet; and How 
to Play It. 

By Prince Ranjitsinhji. The game 
described concisely and illustrated with 
full-pape pictures posed especially for 
this book. Price 10 cents. 




Group IV. 



Lawn 
Tennis 




4— Spalding's Official 
Lawn Tennis Annual. 

Contents include reports 
of all important tourna- 
ments; official ranking 
from 1885 to date; laws of 
lawn tennis; instructions 
for handicapping; deci- 
sions on doubtful points; 
management of tourna- 

ments; directory of clubs; 

ng ou t and keeping a court. Illusj 
trated. Price 10 cents. 

No. 157-How to Flay Lawn 
Tennis. 

A complete description of lawn ten- 
nis; a lesson for beginners and direc- 
tions telling how to make the most im- 
portant strokes. Illustrated., Price 
10 cents. 

No. 270— Strokes and Science 
of Lawn Tennis. 
By P. A. Vaile, a leading authority 
on the game in Great Britain. Every 
stroke in the game is accurately illus- 
trated and analyzed by the author. 
Price 10 cents. 



Group V. 



Golf 



No. 
C 

Contains records of all 
important tournaments. 
articles on the game in 
various sections of the 
country, pictures of prom- 
inent players, official play- 
ing rules and general 
items of interest. Price 
10 cents. 

No. 270— How to Play Golf, 

By James Braid and Harry Vardon. 
the world's two greatest players tell, 
how they play the game, with numer* 
ous full-page pictures of them taken 
on (he links. Prico 10 cent* 




SPALDING ATHLETIC LIBRARY 




Group VI. „ Hockey 

No. *S*Spal<lii.©'9 Official Ice 
Hockey Guide. 

The official year book of 
;he game. Contains the 
ilTi.-ial rules, pictures of 
I leading teams and players. 
| records, review 'of the 
son. reports from dif- 
ferent sections of the 
United Statesand Canada. 
1 Price 10 cents. 

No. 304— How to Play lee 
Hockey. 

Contains a description of the duties 
of each player. Illustrated. Price 10 
cents. 

No. 154— Field Hockey. 

Prominent in the sports at Vassar. 
Smith. Wellesley, BrynMawrand other 
leading: colleges. Price 10 cents. 

No. 1S« — Lawn Hockey. 
Parlor Hockey, Garden 
Hockey. 

Containing the rules for each game. 
Illustrated. Price 10 cents. 

No. ISO— Ring Hockey. 

A new game for the gymnasium. 
Exciting as basket ball. Price 10 cents. 

HOCKEY AUXILIARY. 
No. 25U— Oltlcial Handbook 
of the Ontario Hockey 
Association. 

Contains the official rules of the 
Association, constitution, rules of coin- 
petition, list of officers, and pictures of 
leading players. Price 10 cents. 

,__ Basket 
Group Vn. Ball 

No. 7— Spalding's Oltieial 
Basket Dull Guide. 

Edited by George 
Hepbron. Contains the £ 
revised official rules, de- 
cisions on disputed points. 
records of prominent 
teams, reports on the game 
from various parts of the 
country. Illustrated. Price 
10 cents. 

No. 103— How to Play BasUet 
Ball. 

By G. T. Hepbron. editor of the 
Official Basket Ball Guide. Illustrated 
with scenes of action. Price 10 cents. 




Group VIII. Bowling 

No. 8— Spalding's Official 
Rowling: Guide. 

The contents include: 
diagrams of effective de- 
liveries; hints to begin- 
ners- how to score: official 
rules; spares, how they 
are made: rules for cocked 
hat, quintet, cocked hat 
and feather, battle game, 
etc. Price 10 cents. 

_ - -_ Indoor 
Group IX. Base Ball 

No. 0— Spalding's Offi 
door Base Rail O 

America's national game 
is now vieing with other 
indoor games as a winter 
pastime. This book con- 
tains the playing rules, 
pictures of leading teams, 
and interesting articles on 
the game by leading au- 
thorities on the subject. 
Price 10 cents. 




Group X. 



Polo 





No. 31S— Official Basket Ball 
Guide fop Women. 
Edited by Miss Senda Berenson. of 
Smith College. Contains the official 
playing Tules and special articles on 
the game by prominent authorities. 
Illustrated. Price 10 cents. 

BASKET BALL AUXILIARY. 
No. 323— Collegiate Basket 
Ball Handbook. 

The official publication of the Colle- 
giate Basket Ball Association. Con- 
tains the official rules, records. All- 
America selections, reviews, and pic- 
tures. Edited by H. A. Fisher, of 
WttJfibiS. Fries 10 cents. 



NO. 10— Spa 111 inft's 
Official Roller 
IN. lo Gniile. 

Edited by J. C. Morse. 
A full description of the 
game; official rules, re- 
cords: pictures of promi- 
nent players. Price 1C cents 
No. 129— Water Polo. 

The contents of this book treat of 
every detail, the individual work of the 
players, the practice of the team, how 
to throw the ball, with illustrations and 
many valuable hints. Price 10 cents. 
No. 100— Equestrian Polo. 

Compiled by H. L. Fitzpatrick of the 
New York Sun. Illustrated with por- 
traits of leading players, and contains 
most useful information for polo play- 
ers. Price 10 cents. 

___ Miscellane- 
GroupXI. ous Games 

Xo. 201— Lacrosse. 

Every position is thoroughly ex- 
plained in a most simple and concise 
manner, rendering it the best manual 
of the came ever published. Illus- 
trated with numerous snapshots of im- 
portant plays. Price 10 cents. 
No. 322— Official Handbook 
V. S. Inter-Colleciate La- 
crosse League. 

Contains the constitution, by-laws, 
playing rules, list of officers and records 
of the association. Price 10 cents. 
No. 271— Spalding's Official 
Roque Guide. 

The official publication of the Na- 
tional Roque Association of America. 
Contains a description of the courts 
and their construction, diagrams, illus- 
trations, rules and valuable informa- 
tion. Price 10 cents. 

No. 1!1S— Spalding's Official 
Croquet Guide 

Contains directions for playing, dia- 
grams of important strokes, description 
of grounds, instructions for the begin- 
ner, terms used in the game, and the 
official playing rules. Price 10 cents. 



No. 248— Archery. 

A new and up-to-date book on this 
fascinating pastime. The several 
varieties of archery; instructions for 
shooting; how to select implements: 
how to score; and a greatdeal of inter- 
esting information. Illustrated. Price 
to cents. 



How to play each game is thoroughly 
explained, and all the difficult strokes 
shown by special photographs taken 
especially for this book. Contains the 
official rules for each same. Price 10 
cents. 
No. 107— Qnoits. 

Contains a description of the plays 
used by experts and the official rules. 
Illustrated. Price 10 cents. 

No. 170— Push Ball. 

This book contains the official rules 
and a sketch of the game; illustrated. 
Price 10 cents. 



By the world's champion, Michael 
Egan. Every play is thoroughly ex- 
plained by text and diagram. Illus- 
trated. Price 10 cents. 
No. 14— Curling. 

A short history of this famous Scot- 
tish pastime, with instructions for 
play, rules of the game, definitions of 
terms and diagrams of different shots. 
Price 10 cents. 

No. 207— Bowling on the 
Green; or, Lawn Bowls. 

How to construct a green; how to 
play the game, and the official rules 
of the Scottish Bowling Association. 
Illustrated. Price 10 cents. 
No. 180— Children's Games. 

These games are intended for use at 
recesses, and all but the team games 
have been adapted to large classes. 
Suitable for children from three to 
eightyears. andincludeagreat variety. 
Price 10 cents. 
No. IsS— Lawn Games. 

Lawn Hockey, Garden Hockey. Hand 
Tennis, Tether Tennis: also Volley 
Ball. Parlor Hockey. Badminton, Bas- 
ket Goal. Price 10 cents. 

Group XII. Athletics 




Scotch. 



Compiled by J. E. Sulli- 
van. Presidentof the Ama- 
teur Athletic Union. The 
only annual publication i 
now issued that contains 
a complete list of amateur | 
best-on-records; intercol- 
legiate, swimming, inter- 1 
scholastic. English, Irish. 
Swedish. Continental. South African, 
Australasian; numerous photos of in* 
dividual athletes and leading athletic 
teams. Price 10 cents. 

No. 27— College Athletic* 

M. C. Murphy, the well-known ath- 
letic trainer, now with Pennsylvania, 
the author of this book, has written it 
especially for the schoolboy and college 
man, but it is invaluable for the athlete 
who wishes to excel in any branch of 
athletic sport; profusely illustrated* 
Price 10 cen u. 



SPALDING ATHLETIC LIBRARF 



Atli- 



Ro. j 1S2— AH- Around 

tetics. 

Gives in full the method of scoring 
the Ail-Around Championship: how to 
train for the Ail-Around Champion- 
ship. Illustrated. Price 10 cents. 

No. 166— Athlete's Gnlde. 

Full instructions for the beginner, 
telling how to sprint, hurdle, jump and 
throw weights, general hints on train- 
ing: valuable advice to beginners and 
Important A. A. U. rules and their ex- 
planations, while the pictures comprise 
many scenes of champions in action. 
Price 10 cents. 

Ho. 273— The Olympic Games 
at Athens. 

'A complete account of the Olympic 
Games of 1906, at Athens, the greatest 
International Athletic Contest ever 
held. Compiled by J. E. Sullivan. 
Special United States Commissioner to 
the Olympic Games. Price lb cents. 

Ho. 87— Athletic Primer. 

Edited by J. E. Sullivan, President 
Of the Amateur Athletic Union. Tells 
how to organize an athletic club, how 
to conduct an athletic meeting, and 
gives rules for the government of ath- 
letic meetings; contents also include 
directions for laying out athletic 
grounds, and a very instructive article 
en training. Price 10 cents. 

No, 252— How to Sprint. 

Every athlete who aspires to be a 
sprinter can study this book to advan 
tage. Price 10 cents. 

Ho.^GS-How to Ann 100 
Yards. 

By J. W. Morton, the noted British 
champion. Many of Mr. Morton's 
methods of training are novel to 
American athletes, but his success is 
the best tribute to their worth. Illus- 
trated. Price 10 cents. 

No. 174— Distance and Cross- 
Country Bnnnlng. 
^By George Orton, the famous Uni- 
versity of Pennsylvania runner. The 
Quarter, half, mile, the longer dis- 
tances, and cross-country running and 
steeplechasing, with instructions for 
training; pictures of leading athletes 
tn action, with comments by the editor. 
Pries 10 cents. 

flo. 20fr— Weight Throwing. 

1 Probably no other man in the world 
Kas had the varied and long experience 
of James S. Mitchel. the author, in the 
weight throwing department of ath- 
letics. The book gives valuable infor- 
mation not only for the novice, but for 
the expert as well. Price 10 cents. 

No. 246— Athletic Training 
tor Schoolboys. 

By Geo. W. Orton. Each event in the 
Intercollegiate programme is treated 
of separately. Price 10 cents. 

So. J6S— Official Sporting 
Vales. 

"Abstains rules not found in other 
publications for the government of 
many sports; rules for wrestling, 
ehuffleboard. snowshoeing. profes. 
•lonal racing, pigeon shooting, dog showing tb 

ng. pistol and revolver shooting, a valuable featu 

ah watsr polo rules. Rugby foot ' "' 



ATHLETIC AUXILIARIES. 

No. 311— Official Handbook 
of the A.A.U. 

The A. A. U. is the governing body 
of athletes in the United States of 
America, and all games must be held 
under its rules, which are exclusively 
published in this handbook, and a copy 
should be in the hands of every athlete 
and every club officer in America. 
Also includes a very interesting article 
Growth of American Ath- 
letics," and a short biography of each 
member of the Board of Governors. 
Price 10 cents. -, 

No. 310— Official Intercolle- 
giate A.A.A.A. Handbook. 

Contains constitution, by-laws, and 
laws of athletics; records from 1876 to 
date. Price 10 cents. 

No. 308— Offlclnl Handbook 
New York Iiiterschol- 
nxtlc Athletic Associa- 
tion. 

Contains the Association's records, 
constitution and by-laws and other 
information. Price 10 cents. 

V.M.C.A. 

Contains the official rules governing 
all sports under the jurisdiction of the 
Y. M. C. A., official Y. M. C. A. scoring 
tables, pentathlon rules, pictures of 
leading Y. M. C. A athletes. Price 
10 cents. 

No. 313— Official Handbook 
Of the Public Schools 
Athletic League. 

Edited by Dr. C. Ward Orampton, 
director of physical education in the 
Public Schools of Greater New York. 
Illustrated. Price 10 cents. 

No. 314— Official Handbook 
Girls' Branch of the 
Public Schools Athletic 
League. 

The official publication. Contains : 
constitution and by-laws, list of offi- 
cers, donors, founders, life and annual 
members, reports and illustrations. 
Price 10 cents. 

Ath- 

By J. E. Sullivan, President Amateur 
Athletic Union and member of Board 
of Education of Greater New York. An 
invaluable handbook for the teacher 
and the pupil. Gives a systematic 
plan for conducting school athletic con- 
tests and instructs how to prepare for 
the various events. Illustrated. Price 
10 cents. 

No. 317— Marathon Hnnnlng. 
A new and up-to-date book on this 
popular pastime. Contains pictures 
of the leading Marathon runners, 
methods of training, and best times 
made in various Marathon events. 
Price 10 cents. 



No. 128— How to Bow. > 

By E J. Giannini. of the New York 
Athletic Club, one of America's most 
famous amateur oarsmen and cham- 
pions. Shows how to hold the oars, 
the finish of the stroke and other valu- 
able information. Price 10 cents. 
No. S4»tt— Speed Swimming. 

By Champion C. M. Daniels of the 
New York Athletic Club team, holder 
of numerous American records, and the 
best swimmer in America qualified to 
write on the subject. Any boy should 
be able to increase his speed in the 
water after reading Champion Daniels' 
instructions on the subject. Price 10 
cents. 
No. 23— Canoeing. 

Paddling, sailing, cruising and rac- 
ing canoes and their uses; with hints 
on rig and management; the choice of 
a canoe; sailing canoes, racing regula- 
tions; canoeing and camping. Fully 
illustrated. Price 10 cents. 



Contains advice for beginners; how 
to become a figure skater, showing how 
to do all the different tricks of the beat 
figure skaters. Pictures of prominent 
skaters and numerous diagrams. Price 
10 cents. 

No. 282— Official Boiler Skat* 
Ing Gnlde. 

Directions for becoming a fancy and 
trick roller skater, and rules for roller 
skating. Pictures of prominent tries: 
skaters in action. Price 10 cents. 

No. ITS— How to Train for 
Bicycling. 

Gives methods of the best riders 
when training for long or short distance 
races; hints on training. Revised and 
up-to-date in every particular. Price 
10 cents. 



Prist 10 cant*. 



Group XIII. Athletic 
Accomplishments 

No. 177— How to Swim. 

Will interest the expert as well as 

the novice; the illustrations were made 

from photographs especially posed. 

:r in clear water; 

is the series of 

land drill " exercise* for the bwinnex. 



Group XIV. 



Manly 
Sports 



No. 140— Wrestling. 

Catoh-as-catch-can style. Seventy 
illustrations of the different holds, pho- 
tographed especially and so described 
that anybody can with little effort learn 
every one. Price 10 cents. 

No. 18— Fencing. 

By Dr. Edward Breck. of Boston* 
editor of The Swordsman, a promi- 
nent amateur fencer. A book that has 
stood the test of time, and is universally 
acknowledged to be a standard work. 
Illustrated. Price 10 cents. 

No. 102— Boxing Gnlde. 

Contains over 70 pages of illustrations 
showing all the latest blows, ' posed 
especially for this book under the super- 
vision of a well-known instructor of 
boxing, who makes a specialty of teach- 
ing and knows how to impart bis 
knowledge. Price 10 cents. 

No. 165— The Art Of Fencing 

By Regis and Louis Senac. of New 
York, famous instructors and leading 
authorities on (the subject. Gives in 
detail how every move should be made. 
Price 10 cents. 

No. 236— How to Wrestle. 

The most complete and up-to-date 
book on wrestling ever published. 
Edited by F. R. Toombs, and devoted 
principally to special poses and Uhistra* 
dons by George Hackensehmidt, to* 
"gsultsUsi.' PrtsssMsM, 



SPALDING ATHLETIC LIBRARY 



No. 102— Ground Tumbling. 
Any boy. by reading this book and 
following: the instructions, can become 
proficient. Price 10 cents. 

NO. irsu— Tumbling: for Ama- 
teur*. 
Specially compiled for amateurs by 
Dr. James T. Gwathmey. Every variety 
of the pastime explained by text and 
pictures, over 100 different positions 
being; shown. Price 10 cents. 

No. 191— Hoir to Punch the 

Bng. 
The best treatise on bag punching 
that has ever been printed. Every va- 
riety of blow used in training is shown 
and explained, with a chanter on fancy 
bag punching by awell-known theatri- 
cal bag puncher. Price 10 cents, 

No. 143— Indian Clubs and 
Dnmb-BelU. 

By America's amateur champion club 
swinger, J. H. Dougherty. It is clearly 
illustrated, by which any novice can 
become an expert. Price 10 cents. 

No. 200— Dumb-Dells. 

The best work on dumb-bells that 
has ever been offered. By Prof. G. 
Bojus. of New York. Contains 200 
photographs. Should be in the hands 
of every teacher and pupil of physical 
culture, and is invaluable for home 
exercise. Price 10 cents. 

No. 2G2— Medicine Ball Ex- 
ercises. 

A series of plain and practical exer- 
cises with the medicine ball, suitable 
for boys and girls, business and profes- 
sional men. in and out of gymnasium. 
Price 10 cents. 

No. 29— Puller Weight Eier- 
cides. 

By Dr. Henry S. Anderson, instructor 
In heavy gymnastics Yale gymnasium. 
In conjunction with a chest machine 
anyone with this book can become 
perfectly developed. Price 10 cents. 

No. 233— Jin Jltsu. 

Each move thoroughly explained and 
illustrated with numerous full-page 
pictures of Messrs. A. Minami and K. 
Koyama, two of the most famous ex- 
ponents of the art of Jiu Jitsu, who 
posed especially for this book. Price 
10 cents. 

No. 16G— How to Swine In- 
dian Clubs. 

By Prof. E. B. Warman. By follow- 
ing the directions carefully anyone can 
become an expert. Price 10 cents. 

No. 320— Professional Wrest- 
ling. 

A book devoted to the catch-as-catch- 
can style; illustrated with half-tone 
pictures showing the different holds 
used by Frank Gotch, champion catch- 
as-catch-can wrestler of the world. 
Posed by Dr. Roller and Charles Postl. 
By Ed. W. Smith. Sporting Editor of 
the Chicago American. Price 10 cents. 

Croup XV. Gymnastics 

No. 104— The Grading: Of 

Gymnastic Exercises. 

By G. H. Martin. A book that should 

be in the hand 6 of every physical direc- 

aof ths Y. M, C. A., school club, col- 
k«t* Pric«l0c«ut»> 



No. 214— Graded Calisthen- 
ics and Dumb-Dell Drills. 

For years it has been the custom in 
most gymnasiums of memorizing a set 
drill, which was never varied. Conse- 
quently the beginner was given the 
same kind and amount as the older 
member. With a view to giving uni- 
formity the present treatise is at- 
tempted. Price 10 cents. 

No. 254— Dnrnjum Bar Bell 
Drill. 

Edited by Dr. R. Tait McKenzie, 
Director Physical Training. University 
of Pennsylvania, Profusely illustrated. 
Price 10 cents. 

No. 158 — Indoor and Outdoor 
Gymnastic Games. 
A book that will prove valuable to in- 
door and outdoor gymnasiums, schools, 
outings and gatherings where there 
are a number to be amused. Price 10 
cents. ) 

No. 124— How to Become a 
Gymnast. 

By Robert Stoll. of the New York 
A. C, the American champion on the 
flying rings from 1885 to 1892. Any boy 
can easily become proficient with a 
little practice. Price 10 cents. 

No. 2S7— Fancy Dumb Bell 
and Marching: Drills. 

All concede that games and recreative 
exercises during the adolescent period 
are preferable to set drills and monoton- 
ous movements. These drills, while de- 
signed primarily for boys, can be used 
successfully with girls and men and 
women. Profusely illustrated. Price 
10 cents. 

No. 327— Pyramid Building; 
Without Apparatus. 
By W. J. Cromie. Instructor of 
Gymnastics. University of Pennsyl- 
vania. With illustrations showing 
many different combinations. This 
book should be in the hands of all gym- 
nasium instructors. Price 10 Cents. ■ 

No. 323 — Exercises on the 
Parallel Bars. 

By W. J. Cromie. Every gymnast 
should procure a copy of this book. 
Illustrated with cuts showing many 
novel exercises. Price 10 cents. 

No. 320— Pyramid Building; 
with Chairs, Wands and 
Ladders. 

By W. J. Cromie. Illustrated with 
half-tone photopraphs showing many 
interesting combinations. Price 10 
cents. 

GYMNASTIC AUXILIARY. 
No. 333— Official Handbook 
Inter-Collegiate Associa- 
tion Amateur Gymnasts 
of America. 
Edited by P. R. Carpenter. Physical 
Director Amherst College. Contains 
pictures of leading teams and individual 
champions, official rules governing con- 
tests, records. Price 10 cents. 

Group XVI. culture 

No. 1<J1— Ten Minutes' Exer- 
cise for Busy Men. 

By Dr. Luther Halsey Gulick. Direc- 
tor of Physical Training in the New 
York Public Schools. A concise and 
complete course of physical education. 



No. 208— Physical Education 
and Hygiene. 

This is the fifth of the Physical 
Training series, by Prof. E. B. Warman 
(see Nos. 142. 149. 166. 185. 213.261. 290.) 
Price 10 cents. 
No. 1 in— The Careof the Body. 

A book that all who value health 
should read and follow its instructions. 
By Prof. E. B. Warman. the well-known 
lecturer and authority on physical cul- 
ture. Price 10 cents. 

No. 142— Physical Training 
Simplified. 

By Prof. E. B. Warman. A complete, 
thorough and practical book where the 
whole man is considered— brain and 
body. Price 10 cents. 
No. 185— Health Hints. 

By Prof. E. B. Warman. Health in- 
fluenced by insulation; health influ- 
enced by underwear: health influenced 
by color; exercise. Price 10 cents. 
No. 213 — 285 Health Answers. 

By Prof. E. B. Warman. Contents: 
ventilating a bedroom; ventilating a 
house: how to obtain pure air; bathing: 
salt water baths at home: a substitute 
ter; to cure insomnia, etc.. 



etc. Price 10 < 



itta 



No. 238— Muscle Building. 

By Dr. L. H. Gulick. Director of Phy- 
sical Training in the New York Public 
Schools. A complete treatise on the 
correct method of acquiring strength. 
Illustrated. Price 10 cents. 
No. 234— School Tactics and 



M 



111 



A series of drills for the use of schools. 
Edited by Dr. Luther. Halsey Gulick. 
Director of Physical Training in the 
New York Public Schools. Price 10 
cents. 
No. 2«1— Tensing Exercises. 

By Prof. E. B. Warman. The "Ten- 
sing" or "Resisting" system of mus- 
cular exercises is the most thorough, 
the most complete, the most satisfac- 
tory, and the most fascinating of sys- 
tems. Price 10 cents. 

No. 285— Health; by Muscu- 
lar Gymnastics. 

With hints on right living. By W. J. 
Cromie. If one will practice the exer- 
cises and observe the hints therein 
contained, he will be amply repaid for 
so doing. Price 10 cents. 

No. 288— Indigestion Treated 
by Gymnastics 

By W. J. Cromie. If the hints there- 
in contained are observed and the 
exercises faithfully performed great 
relief will be experienced. Price 10 
cents. 

No. 290— Get Well: Keep 
Well. 

By Prof. E. B. Warman. author of a 
number of books in the Spalding Ath- 
letic Library on physical training. 
Price 10 cents. 



By Prof. E. B. Warman. with chap- 
ters on " How to Avoid Growing Old." 
and " Fasting ; Its Objects and Bene- 
fits.'* Price 10 cents. 

No. 330— Physical Training 
(or the School and Class 
Room. 

Edited by G. R. Borden. Physical 
Director of the Y. M. C. A.. Eas ton. Pa. 
A book that is for practical work in 
the school room. Illustrated. Prk* 
IvMBtfr 




Photo.] 



[C. B. Fry's Magazine. 



The Right Hon. Lord Alverstone, G.C.M.G P.C. 
Lord Chief Justice of England. 



SPALDING'S ATHLETIC LIBRARY 
No. 279 



The Strokes and Science 
of Lawn Tennis 



BY 

P. A. VAILE 

n 

AUTHOR OP 

'Modern Lawn Tennis," "Great Lawn Tennis Players, 

"Swerve, or the Flight of the Ball," &c. 



PUBLISHED BY 

AMERICAN SPORTS PUBLISHING COMPANY. 
21 Warren Street, New York 






DEDICATED BY PERMISSION ' 

TO 

THE RIGHT HON. LORD ALVERSTONE, G.C.M.G., P.C. 

LORD CHIEF JUSTICE OF ENGLAND, 

WHO TAKES A DEEP INTEREST IN THE GAME 



! CI.A268482 



We reprint in this issue of Spalding's Athletic Library, with 
permission of the publishers, the British Sports Publishing Com- 
pany, Ltd., 2 and 3 Hind Court, Fleet Street, London, England, 
the contents of a copyrighted book issued by them, " The Strokes 
and Science of Lawn Tennis," by P. A. Vaile. Mr. Vaile is a 
leading English authority on the game and is thoroughly familiar 
with his subject. The book has had a very large sale in Great 
Britain and has been pronounced by experts to be the best work 
of its kind ever published. The difference between the English 
and American styles of play should make it of interest to every 

player. 

American Sports Publishing Co. 



CONTENTS 











PAGE 


Preface . . ... . . . 7 


Description of the Game 






II 


The Court 








14 


Implements and Dress 








17 


The Grip of the Racket 








18 


The Game 








31 


The Single Game 








102 


The Double Game . 


. 






109 


Mixed Doubles 


. 






113 


Ladies' Singles 


. 






117 


Ladies Doubles 








118 


Tournament Play 


. 






119 


Practice and Training 








120 


The Importance of Lawn Tennis . 






124 


English, American, and Australasian 


Lawn 


Tenni. 




Compared 






132 


The Value of Rotation 






140 


Defective Hold of the Racket 






M4 


The Position of the Striker-out's Partner 






148 


How to Make and Keep a Court . 






154 


Afterword 


. 






159 



Spalding's Athletic Library. 



PREFACE 



J'here have been written many books on Lawn Tennis, but 
few, if any, whose price is within the meaus of the ordinary 
olayer show clearly the manner in which the most important 
strokes in the game should be produced. 

The object of this book is to set out clearly by letterpress 
and diagram-photograph the manner in which all the best 
strokes of the game are produced. In nearly every case the 
start, impact, and finish of the stroke is given. This and the 
accompanying explanation should enable any one to learn the 
strokes without difficulty. 

I have been compelled to illustrate these strokes myself, for 
there is no player in England who plays them. Here and there 
one finds a person who uses one or two of them, but it would, 
in a work of this nature, be obviously impossible to collect 
photographs of a great number of different players. 

These strokes are not here laid down as being the most 
perfect because I play them so. They are the most natural 
and effective strokes known, and are the result of the experience 
of practically all the most famous players in the world, except 
Messrs. R. F. and H. L. Doherty. This statement I shall refer 
to later on. 



8 Spalding's Athletic Library. 

It is confidently anticipated that this book will prove of great 
assistance, not only to beginners but to those players who, on 
account of their defective hold of the racket, cannot produce 
the best Lawn Tennis strokes. 

My first book on the game, Modern Lawn Tennis, was published 
in June, 1904. Those who have followed the game closely 
know how thoroughly and conclusively the faults in English 
tactics and strokes therein dealt with were demonstrated at the 
1905 tournament, when an American lady woy the Ladies' singles 
championship and an Australian player the All-comers' singles, 
and Renshaw cup. 

These faults still to a large extent exist, and we shall be 
lucky if we succeed in retaining here those championships 
which we now hold. I regard it as practically a certainty, 
unless our methods are changed, that we shall lose all our 
honours in the Lawn Tennis competitions. 

Messrs. R. F. and H. L. Doherty are the only two English 
players who stand out by themselves on the result of the 
championship tournament, and in my opinion they were well 
served by the unfair condition which exempts them from 
playing through the draw. This should be abolished forthwith, 
for it is un-English and unsportsmanlike, and gives the holder 
a most undue advantage. 

I must not, however, forget to mention Mr. S. H. Smith's 
grand display against the American champion, Mr. Holcombe 
Ward. His driving and return of the service that day were 
probably the finest that have ever been seen on a court, and 
his great match against Mr. N. E. Brookes in the final of the 
All-comers' singles, in which he led at " Two sets all 4-2," will 
not readily be forgotten. 



Spalding's Athletic Library. 9 

Apart from these cases, the general standard of the English 
game was not high. I attribute this particularly to the defective 
hold of the racket most in vogue here. I am therefore glad 
to have had the opportunity of writing this book, and showing 
the natural holds and strokes played nearly everywhere except 
in England ; for it stands to reason that a book of this nature 
must have a very much larger circulation than expensive works 
can possibly have, and my aim is to increase 'he knowledge 
and popularity of the game as much as possible. 



36 



4.6 



27 



46 



136 



13-6 



O 



u. 72 



C ~ 



136 



136 



r. 


to 


<u 


V 


CD 


W) 




c 






U 


/) 


.C 





46 



27 



46 



36 



Spa/ding's Athletic Library. n 



DESCRIPTION OF THE GAME. 

Lawn 1 ennis is played by two or four persons. When two 
persons play the game is called a men's or ladies' single, as the 
case may be. When four men play it is a men's double ; if four 
ladies in America, it is a women's, in England a ladies' double. 
When a lady and a man play a similarly constituted pair it 
is called a mixed double. Sometimes, but rarely, one person 
plays two, but this is not really recognised as a game. 

The size of the court for the single game is 78 feet by 27 feet, 
and for the double game 78 feet by 36 feet. It is marked out as 
shown in Fig. 1. 

The game is played with rackets and balls, and consists of a 
series of rests, or, as they are sometimes called, rallies. A rest 
consists of the period of play which ensues consequent on any 
one service. From the time a good service leaves the racket 
of the server until the ball is dead constitutes a rest. 

The court is divided at the middle by a net, which runs across 
it parallel with the base lines. The ball is knocked from one 
side of the net to the other until one side fails to return it into 
the opposite court. Either side scores an ace when the opposing 
side fails to return the ball into their opponents' court. This ace 
may be gained by one's opponent failing to hit the ball, by his 



12 Spa/ding's Athletic Library. 

hitting it into the net or out of the opposite court. The object of 
the game is therefore to place or drive the ball into the court of 
your opponent in such a manner as to prevent him returning it 
into your own court. 

The first player to hit the ball is called the server. He throws 
the ball up and hits ft into the service court diagonally opposite 
to him. After this service is delivered each side must strike the 
ball alternately, hitting it either before it touches the ground, 
in which case the stroke is called a volley, or after it has struck 
the ground once. In the latter case the hit is called a ground- 
stroke. As will be seen later on, one may not volley the service. 
If he does it counts an ace to his opponent. All other balls 
may be either volleyed or played off the ground. 

The method of scoring is peculiar. The value of the aces 
is exactly the same ; if anything, perhaps the later ones are the 
most valuable, yet they are assigned different numerical values. 
Many efforts and suggestions to alter the system of scoring 
have been made, but none has met with favour at the hands 
of lawn-tennis players. 

The first point or ace won for either side is called 15, and 
if each side wins one of the first two points, the score is called 
"15 all." The server's score is always called first, so that the 
score would in the case above quoted be " 15-love," or"love-i5," 
and then " 15 all," according to whether the server or his oppo- 
nent wins the first stroke. " Love " in tennis scoring, and indeed 
in most game scoring, means " nothing." Why this word of all 
others was chosen to express " nothing " I do not know. A 
learned professor has classed love as the greatest thing in 
the world. 

If the server wins the first two strokes the score is "30-love." 



Spalding's Athletic Library. 13 

If his opponent win the next one it is "30-15." If the server 
loses the next stroke the game is " 30 all." It will thus be seen 
that the two first strokes are allotted an entirely arbitrary value 
of 15. The third stroke is assessed at 10, so that if after 
" 30 all " has been called the server wins the next point, the 
score is called 40-30. Should the receiver or striker-out, as he 
is generally called, win the next point after "30 all," the score 
would be called 30-40. 

Either side wins a game when four aces or points have been 
scored, unless each side wins three points, which makes "40 all," 
but is always called " deuce." When the score is at deuce 
it is necessary for either side to win two consecutive strokes 
before the game is won, so that once the score has come to 
deuce neither side can win by the result of one rest. If when 
the score is at deuce the server wins the next ace it is " vantage 
in." Should he then win the next, the game is his, but should he 
lose it, the game goes back to deuce, and both he and his 
opponent require to score two consecutive strokes before the 
game is won. It will thus be seen that if the score is " vantage 
in " the receiver must score three successive strokes to win. He 
wants one to bring it back to deuce, and then two successive 
ones to win. The game may thus go on indefinitely. As a 
matter of fact there are sometimes single games nearly as 
trying as an ordinary set, but this does not often occur, and I 
have never met the player who wanted to alter this system of 
scoring. 

When the game is won the receiver becomes the server, and 
so on alternately. The score by games is called with the 
server's score first, or sometimes in matches with the name of 
the player who i? ahead first. When the games are equal they 



14 Spalding's Athletic Library. 

are called i all, 2 all, 3 all, and so on, but if it is even at 5 all 
this is deuce in games, and either side must win two games run- 
ning before the set is won. The games are not called in scoring 
"deuce "or "vantage"; 5 all or 6-5 would be called, but the 
same rules apply as in the case of deuce and vantage in the 
game ; for instance, if the score is 5-6 in a set, the server would 
require to win another game to bring the score to " 6 all," and 
then he would have to win two more games consecutively before 
the set would go to him. % 

There is no hard-and-fast rule as to what constitutes a match. 
Practically anything decided upon by a tournament committee 
or agreed on by players makes a match. Ordinary matches are, 
however, generally reckoned on the result of three sets. Men's 
championship matches are generally decided by the best of 
five sets, the side which gets 3-2, 3-1, or 3-0 in sets winning. 
Ladies' championships and mixed doubles are nearly always 
decided by the best of three sets. 

The server must always volley the ball — that is, hit it before it 
strikes the ground ; but his opponent the striker-out, or receiver, 
as I prefer to call him, must wait until the ball has hit the 
ground before he can strike it. 



THE COURT. 

The game is played on a variety of courts ; grass, sand, dirt, 
asphalt, concrete, wood and other substances being used. In 
my opinion grass is the only suitable court for the game, but 
this cannot always be obtained, so that in many places the 
substitutes mentioned are used. 



Spalding's Athletic Library. 15 

In laying out a court one should allow plenty of room all 
round it, and although the court itself is only 78 feet by 36 feet, 
the ground on which it is laid out should be roughly 132 feet by 
64 feet. This allows room for play all round the court. If one 
has much less there is danger of being cramped in playing one's 
strokes. A green background is always desirable. A painted 
wall or fence is good, but a live hedge protected by wire netting 
is preferable 

The court should be laid out so that the sun shall pass as 
nearly as may be across it in line with the net, the object being 
to avoid having the sun at any time facing down the court 
lengthways so as to interfere with the players, particularly 
in serving or overhead work. 

In marking out a court you must be careful first of all to 
get your side line where you want it, and of course in line 
with any hedge or fence near it. When you have got your 
side line (A B, Fig. 2) your only trouble will be to get your right 
angle (A B D). The simplest way to do this is to remember 
that 3, 4, and 5 or any multiple thereof will give you a right angle. 
Put in a peg at C four feet from B. Let your assistant stand at 
B and hold the other end of the tape. Now measure out 
twelve feet of tape, that is the sum of 3, 4, and 5, and let 
him hold both ends of the tape at B. Pass the tape round the 
peg at C, noting carefully that the four feet are correctly shown 
at the peg. Keep the measure taut, take another peg and put 
it in at D, the corner of the triangle BCD made by stretching the 
tape tightly at the nine-foot mark. This will give you your 
right angle, so that all you have to do is to produce the line B D 
to E, B E measuring 36 feet. You can now measure 36 feet 
from A to F and draw your line E F 78 feet in length. Then 



18 



«8. 



46 



13-6 



ia-o 



46 



■a 



a 




2 



Spalding's Athletic Library. 17 

A F has to be drawn parallel to E B, and if you have both the 
lines A B and E F 78 feet in length you will be correct. It is a 
good plan to construct a square of laths on the formula given, 
and so test each corner. 

The marking of the court shown here is really the correct 
marking for a double court, but it is rarely seen, as the court 
is generally used for both singles and doubles. Having once got 
your outside lines, the rest is simple, for every line on a lawn- 
tennis court is parallel with either the base lines or the side lines, 
and it is a mere matter of measuring ; for instance, if you want 
to know where to put the net you measure 39 feet from 
the base line on each side line. If it is where to put the singles 
side line, you know that if you measure four feet six inches along 
the base line from the corner of the court, repeat the same 
operation at the other end of the court, and draw a line through 
both points, you must have your singles side line right, and so with 
all the other lines. 

This is really a better method of marking out a court than that 
usually given of settling the position of the net and measuring 
two diagonals, as in that case a trifling error in your original 
line may throw your side line a foot or two out, so that it will 
not be parallel with some walk or hedge. This cannot happen 
with my method, for you work from your side line in the first 
instance. 

IMPLEMENTS AND DRESS. 

A beginner should always try to get some friend to assist in 
the choice of a racket. Cheap rackets are generally dear. 
Although a paradox, this is a sound statement. Do not buy 



1 8 Spalding's Athletic Library. 

rubbish. You should get a good racket, and certainly not too 
tightly strung. A man should use a f ourteen-ounce racket ; 
for a lady, thirteen ounces will be found enough. In England 
14^ and 13^ ounces are the weights generally used, but the 
strokes are not so quick as the American and Australasian shots. 
Heavy rackets make for slowness. 

I am a great believer in knickerbockers for all athletic games. 
If lawn tennis is not an athletic game I do not know one. 
Trousers bind the knees. They are a little cooler certainly, but 
I am sure one can get about more quickly in knickerbockers. 
This, however, may be left to one's own inclination. It is of 
great importance that you should be lightly shod. The American 
says of his racehorses, " Better a stone on his back than an ounce 
on his heels." It is so with a man. The average player uses 
shoes that are much too heavy. Use the lightest and tightest shoe 
that you possibly can with comfort. You could play barefoot if 
you had to, and soon would. Accustom yourself, therefore, to 
the light shoe, and have it tight. This is of great importance in 
starting quickly. You cannot start quickly in a heavy, loose shoe. 
Do not be afraid to roll up your sleeves. In America even the 
ladies do it. 

A lady player should always have a skirt so short and light 
that it doesn't impede her progress on the court. The light shoe 
is important to her, but she knows it, and generally has it. 



THE GRIP OF THE RACKET. 

This is a matter of the greatest importance to players, both 
to beginners and many who have played the game for years 



Spalding's Athletic Library. 19 

The English holds are in my opinion thoroughly unsound, 
and I blame them for the paucity of strokes in the game and 
for the lack of rising players. The prime essential of a good 
grip is that the forearm from elbow to wrist and the handle 
of the racket shall be in one and the same line at the moment 
the ball is struck. In some of the cut strokes illustrated it 
will seem as though this rule is violated, but it is not so, for, 
although there is shown in these pictures a decided angle, at 
the moment of impact the handle of the racket and the forearm 
are in the same straight line as regards the plane of the 
force, if I may use the term. To put it more plainly, if I 
am "cutting" a ball with a tennis racket or a tree with a 
small axe my arm is following down the line in which I desire 
to expend my force. The following photographs will illustrate 
very clearly the merits of the strokes advocated by me, and the 
demerits of those most prevalent in England to-day. 




rt 


u 


V 


a 






u 


■ — ■ 


tn 


<u 


* a 


o 


rt 


s: 


'X; 


\n 


u 




J3 


T3 




a 


c 


2 


JU 


3 

4= 




, , 


J3 


Ih 


D 


3 


^ 



G "> 



E o-* 

« en (/) 




j- 1 o oj 
" n! ij (/> 





S 3 .t: ° OT § x bo.^ £ 



en flu xi 

2'°H <u 



<n 2"rt ^ rt c 5 *> 

gxi.C 



u 



c h 



x 5 



E " 

, C 



D C 
>- — 

bo 



o 



60 «£ -5 |.s 

o-SP-x 



X! « rt J5 



0, 3 
u O 
bO 



tn rt «J »j C 
X J..5 <n 



3..H 



CO 
1) c 



be 



o 
a,^ 2^ £.2-o.c i, 

^Ey^^^w-^rt- 2 ^ 

a -ox 
■*- c t! 
° *-o g'P'S 

c - * § 3 

o S-£ ° C u 

S "£ = x> 

£ a > 









c « 



O to 



_ 4-. en <u£ 

= c^ >,C §.5 °-g u 
^DrtE^biDOrt-.t: 
£ ~£ >— p rt £ rt rt 

_-^ H OX! £ I- oXX 



E-o 
_ e 



tlN 



o-°x 5 

<n "7 



. c . S box-o 

•- « rt .5 c ^ o^ o 2x 
•°S3 Ifi-rts; « ox g- 



a bo "- 1 
5 



e S 3 
rt-^.tl 

X . J3 " 

<u bo rt 
•■■■CO 

o-- ■» 2 

■« o, rt 

*3 J3 >><u bcrt^: > 
- ■* rt X) C <" 



nx.2 



•- -^ ^ c c •- 
oi -m rt C .= rt ^J 

PL,— 



S <u C 

3 i « 



1 C— r- 



•a-Cpgil-o^^ffiji 



a h S « 



3 

O a) en 



u ±! > C to 



bfl"0 



rt+-.T3 rt-O 0,rt.-X)^tn 




':j ^ re.« 

1*1 "s 

■J a a 
Mr S « 

I ccs 
- 'I 2*5 

I rt O -^ 

■ .d o 

-is rt £ 

.^ G *J D 
| ,_ CU X3 

■^ G u o> 
I O rtjS 
■ U I* -4-i 

•j ■" V J3 
.1 - -G .t! 



2 -s 



•3..S.I 



S u 

p- 3 rt bo c 
C 1> .2 .S 

zGjlc So 

< C " M V 



I -a <" 
'. c -3 
■ »o 3 bfi re 

"1 ,, o c « 

M H "O •-' 

£ a g 



c 
u 


CO 

U 






s 

2 


|£ 


rt 


T3 


•— i 




U 




03 


iC 





u 


■^ 


a 


? 


rt 


.,_> 


3, 

a. 


U 
J3 


Xi 
V 








-.n 


^ 


a 


03 


3 


o 
u 


t/i 


C 


ft 






Q-» 


J65 





> 








■o 


u 






o 


O.T3 






s 


_c; 


■ 


a 


.n 


M 


ir. 
tn 


u 

•V 


W 


rt 


u 
ft 




ft 


& 


.5 


in 


< 


"" 


HI 




i — i 




c 




pq 


CO 


U 
V 


§ 


2 


X> 


P 


o 


JS 


X 


J3 


ft 


H 


u 


C 




£ 


be 





** *> ~ T? "O c 

C? U .-I- 

•a a«-a« 

<n ^jQ— *£ 

.2 1 - 1 OJ3 5«- 
X ~ ~ £ ° 
<U • en *J o Cm 

*■' rt ~ ~ *i <n jj 
(J <U -h O-C ^ 

"■5 JJ o c ~ £ 

•3"~ ^ .2 C _£ 

E «•-.« §..2 c 

aJ-u-3 — ■ " u O 

-s-3.5 "W 2rC « 
t/j <u C c _ «■> 

1^2-2 ,-^©| 

-3 "3 JJi u > >\ 

■" a ■ 



se; 



mS^ 



.3 £ 



3 <u 



5 "> c 






3 "> 

oT.^^ Jj 3 



tC 



>3 cy rt 

3 '- 



u 



• W.3 

O 3 O 

Z > E <u £ 2 



B-^ 3 



W v 



~o O 
< bo ■" ** u 

_, qj ■-* "* in i> O 

£_3 U W — X1--' 

Wi3 5 3 - _ . ti 
ih .Q g ~ en 

§i?a « 55'5 §. 

r i "5 

J 3 +-» 

W"3 O 
H 3 ~ 
<; n) 

J.3 

M i-. 

o 






42 • O 



■a 

3^ 



1) 



cu.c 3 

U« (J 

<u j; o o s 
en a.*3 -t2.£. 



CU —- 



30 Spalding's Athletic Library. 



The racket which I have used in showing these grips is z 
Spalding "Gold Medal." It will be remembered that in Great 
Lawn-iennis Players I strongly condemned the double stringing 
down the centre of the rackets' •' -and also the excessively tight 
stringing of the rackets used in England. 

Racket-makers say that '.players ask for this, and they have to 
give it, although they themselves think it is wrong. It is un- 
doubtedly wrong. Although the long strings in the " spoon- 
face " type of racket give a little more "life" or resilience, 
the short cross strings of the narrow face counteract this to 
a very great extent. The perfect shape for a racket is a circle 
where central strings are of .equal resilience, but that would re- 
quire too much moral courage to introduce. The " Gold Medal," 
however, is trending in the right direction, for it will be seen 
that it is much wider than the average . racket of to-day, so that 
the cross strings are not always robbing the long strings. It 
has another quality that I have frequently insisted upon as very 
desirable in rackets, one that is noticeable chiefly by its absence 
in other makes, and this is in the matter of stringing. It is 
strung so that the ball has time to dwell on the surface of the 
gut so that the player can get a " hold " of it. In all cut strokes 
this is an essential, and after the lessons of last championship 
tournament at Wimbledon he would indeed be a bold man who 
would deny the statement that three-fourths of the .modern 
game at least consists of cut strokes. 



Spalding's Athletic Library. 31 



THE GAME. 

iN the game of Lawn Tennis there are two distinct classes 
of returns with which the player has to deal. Previous to 
the publication of Modern Lawn Tennis there had not been 
any definite attempt to separate them, but one might as well 
in billiards write indiscriminately of plain half-ball shots and 
cannons with the extreme of side as to include in the same 
category a plain overhead service and the American service. 

I shall therefore divide the returns one has to consider and 
the strokes one has to make into two great classes, namely, 
Plain strokes and Cut strokes. 

Plain strokes send the ball away with practically no spin on 
it ; Cut strokes make it fly through the air spinning as it 
goes. Naturally the conduct of these two classes on landing 
is entirely different. 

Although I shall separate the strokes which produce these 
distinct results, I shall classify and illustrate them side by side, 
so that the student of the game can see at a glance the difference 
there is in the manner of producing them. 

There are certain general rules which apply to all strokes. 
Some of these I shall enumerate here, others in those places 
where they are most required. 

Perhaps one of the most important points to remember is that 



32 Spalding's Athletic Library. 

to get the best results from your stroke you must hit the ball 
with the centre of your racket if the present spoon-faced racket 
may be said to have a centre. The observance of this rule 
naturally includes that other fundamental one, " Keep your 
eye on the ball." This is a most important point, particularly 
in serving or dealing with volleys. These are, of course, 
elementary points, but it is astonishing how much they are 
disregarded even by experts, whose play naturally suffers in 
consequence of this neglect. The player should endeavour 
to keep his eye on the ball until he actually strikes it. As a 
matter of fact few, if any, players do this, but it is the right thing 
to try for, and all other things being equal, the man who lets 
his eye dwell on the ball longest will probably play the better 
and* more accurate strokes. 

It is important not to get too near to the ball either in the line 
of its flight and bound or laterally. A beginner should aim at 
letting the ball bound, so that it will fall at its second bound 
about two feet or two feet six inches to the right of his left foot. 
Then he can hit it just before it would, if he left it alone, bound 
a second time and therefore become dead. I am in all cases 
assuming that the player is right-handed. When he is left- 
handed the directions will, of course, be just the opposite to 
those given here. 

Always grip your racket firmly at the time of making your 
stroke. The severer your stroke is, the firmer and stronger 
will be your grip ; but in every case the grip at the actual 
moment of striking must be firm. Between strokes you will 
quite naturally relax your hold so as not to strain your muscles 
unduly, and you will then almost as naturally carry the racket in 
both hands, supporting it at the splice with your left hand. 



Spalding's Athletic Library. 32 

A good start and a good finish are as important in lawn tennis 
as they are in golf ; therefore whenever it is practicable either on 
the forehand or the backhand swing well back before you make 
the stroke. Then when you have come well on to the ball, 
transferring your weight from the right foot to the left (in fore- 
hand strokes) as you make the stroke, follow well through and 
finish your stroke as though you were trying to throw the racket 
head away in the line the ball has gone. This, of course, is for 
plain ball strokes. In all cut strokes you must naturally finish 
more across the line of flight of the ball. 

I shall deal in subsequent chapters with the science and tactics 
of the game after I have fully explained all the most important 
strokes and have shown by photograph, and where necessary by 
adding diagrammatic indicators to the photograph, how they are 
produced. I want my readers to remember that these methods 
are the most perfect known in the game, and the holds are 
the best and most suited to produce the finest strokes, for they 
are the results of the practice of the greatest players known in 
the history of the game. They are the strokes that players in 
New Zealand, Australia, and America learnt from England's 
greatest players. They have retained them and improved on 
them, for they know full well that the present English grip is a 
retrograde movement. 

Not one of England's finest forehand drivers, such as A. W. 
Gore, S. H. Smith, or G. W. Hillyard, uses the English hold. They 
could not drive as they do if they did. They all have the forearm 
in a line with the racket handle. M. J. G. Ritchie, too, who has 
done many good things, always produces his strokes in a natural 
manner, and with the grips insisted on by me. The beginner 
must remember however, that it is quite possible that none of 



34 Spalding's Athletic Library. 

these grips will be perfectly comfortable for him, and that one 
man's grip may be another man's undoing. If he cannot use the 
hold in each case indicated as the best, he must just get as near 
to it as he can with comfort, always bearing in mind the cardinal 
rule to keep the arm from the elbow downwards in a line with 
the racket handle. 



Spa/ding's Athletic Library. 35 

i 



STROKES. 

THE SERVICE. 

\j\ is practically impossible to be a first-class player unless one 
has a good service. The service is the groundwork of your 
attack, and it must be the object of every aspiring player to 
cultivate a strong and varied delivery. If he learns to hold his 
racket naturally, and to discard as puerile and pernicious the 
idea that lawn tennis can be played to the greatest advantage 
,with one grip, there is no reason why he should not do this. 
* Two good general rules for the beginner are : — 

i. Don't try to hit your ball down into the service court. It 
will come down, if you hit it properly, of its own accord. You 
must get the idea of hitting it downwards out of your mind. 

2. Make your faults over the service line. Don't put them 
into the net. Go a yard above the net sooner than into it. 

This latter injunction is very important. A service is really a 
smash from the most difficult position. You must try to keep 
away from the net. You will soon correct your length. 

In delivering the service your weight will be on your right 
foot, as shown in the next two plates. The ball is thrown well 
up over the right ear and struck the moment it comes within 
reach of the centre of your racket. As you hit it you shift your 
weight on to the left foot and follow well through your stroke 
nearly to the ground. 




Plate ii. — Forehand Service. Notice here the ball just leav- 
ing the hand. It has run up the first and second fingers, which 
guide it in its flight. The racket is in the act of falling behind 
the head to gather momentum. The greater weight is on the 
rear foot, and the balance is distributed between the ball of 
the big toes of each foot. This is important. It may be called 
the starting point. It is where you grip the earth. Notice the 
position of the feet, one facing down the court, the other at 
right angles. This is the best position for balance of body weight, 
which is essential in lawn tennis. 




Plate 12. — Forehand Service. Notice here particularly the 
position of the feet, the distribution of the weight, the drooped 
right shoulder with body and head right back ; the racket behind 
the head, and the balance of the extended left arm with lightly 
clenched hand. The hand should never be loose ; the arm should 
never be loose. Whatever the right arm is doing, the left should 
be counterbalancing. 




Plate 13. — Forehand Service. Impact. Here it will be seen 
the weight has been transferred straight onto and doivn the left 
foot in a line towards the net. The ball has been struck fairly, 
and will go away approximately in the line A B. 




Plate 14. — Finish of Forehand Service, the force of the 
blow in delivering the service is here shown to be carrying the 
player into his stride for the net. In this service the head of 
the racket follows through, as though thrown after the ball. 




ir'LAiE 15. — Forehand Cut service. — This is a most useful 
service. When serving from the right court it skims over the 
net and pitches near the opposite side line, keeps very low, and 
breaks away out of court. Well placed, it drives a player so far 
out of court as to leave almost a certain passing shot on his 
backhand before he can regain his position. The racket cuts 
across the ball as shown by the line on it. 




Plate 16. — Forehand Cut Service. Impact. The racket is 
cutting across the ball as shown by the line on it. Note position 
of feet, balance of left arm, and that the racket and arm are in 
the same straight line as regards the force to be exerted, namely, 
in the direction of the mark on the ball. 




Plate 17. — Finish of Forehand Cut Service. The racket 
has traveled clown the dotted line and finished away out to one 
side of the player, not as in the plain service right in the line 
of flight of the ball. Notice the relative position of arm and 
racket. 


















Plate 18.— Chop Service. This is a most useful change serv- 
ice. I he racket travels along the dotted line until it reaches the 
ball as shown in the next plate. 




Plate 19. — The Chop Service, impact. The racket is here 
shown cutting clown behind the ball. This causes it to fly with 
a large amount of back spin. It is a nasty service to play, as it 
shoots low and sometimes breaks a good deal ; also the back 
spin on it makes it very tricky to return, as unless it is allowed 
for and the return played higher than off a plain ball, it is likely 
to find the net. 




Plate 20. — The Chop Service. Finish. The finish in this 
service is much the same as that in the forehand cut service, but 
it is generally straighter down towards the ground. Note the 
position of the feet. 




Plate 21. — Reverse Overhead cut Service. Start. This" is 
one of the finest services in the game. The racket head droops 
behind the head and comes round as shown by the dotted line 
until it hits' the ball as shown in the next plate. Notice the 
weight here is thrown to the right side, as it is to be used 
towards the left This is a particularly nasty service, as it 
breaks away to one's backhand, and. moreover, it is compara- 
tively rare. In England it is practically unknown. 




Plate 22. — Reverse Uverhkau Service, impact. Here the 
racket is passing across the ball in the line shown on it, and thus 
imparting- to it a spinning motion from left to right. The ball 
is not quite in contact. It has to drop an inch or two to the 
center of the racket. Notice the position of body and feet. For 
this service one nearly faces the net. 




Plate 2.5. — k.evekse wverhand Cut Service. Short Grip. 
It is a curious fact not generally known that by shortening the 
racket as shown in the photograph one can get a very great 
amount of spin on a ball. Mr. N. E. Brookes, the Australian 
player, occasionally serves a very fine service with the short- 
ened grip. — 




Plate 24. — .finish of keyeks*. overhead Cut service. The 
racket head has passed down the dotted line, and the stroke is 
finished well across the body as shown. If too much effort is 
put into the cut across, it makes the server slow in following 
Up his service. 




Plate 25. — The American .^i..m.u.. tins is a delivery of 
the utmost importance, yet so far no first-class English player 
has acquired it. Their hold practically prevents them from 
doing so. Dr. Eaves, the Australian player, uses this stroke 
very well, and Mr. Anthony Wilding, the New Zealand player, 
is developing a fine service, as he plays both this and the reverse 
American quite well occasionally. 

It is produced by "top," "lift," "upper cut," call it what you 
will; and the more you can cut over the top of the ball and 
the harder you hit it, the more eccentric and effective will be 
your deliveries. The line across the ball shows how your 
racket should cut upwards and sideways across the ball. This 
is a rear view of the player. 




' tlAl-Ss. 20. lEE AMERICAN SSR?-^. ljUS i£ a vront view 

b*":he service. In delivering It marry ' Americans ihrow the ball 
tap so that it is about the spot shown by the dotted ball. They 
then bend themselves back until they are nearly the shape of 
the letter U, and hit the ball with a lot of upward cut. To keep 
tSis up, however, one requires to be ?r oerfect condition and 
Drcciice, :':ov U '<i very hare or -be ^bioniinal vrmscieCc 




Plate 27. — The American Service. This shows almost the 
moment of impact. The ball should, if anything, be a foot or 
nine inches nearer to the left, but a very effective service may 
be obtained from this position. 1 he dotted line shows the travel 
of the head of the racket. The angle at which it crosses the 
ball is all-important, as on this depends whether you get Ameri- 
can, that is "top," or ordinary cut. 




Plate 28. — The American Service. Impact. This photo- 
graph is taken down the line, and shows the position of the 
racket at the moment of impact. After one has acquired a fair 
degree of accuracy at this angle, an attempt should he made to 
turn the top side of the racket more forward so as to come 
over the ball more. The dotted line shows how the racket cuts 
up behind the ball. The line in front of the ball shows ap- 
proximately its line of flight. 




Plate 28a. — The American Service. Impact. To the un- 
trained eye this plate will appear to be exactly the same as the 
preceding one, yet it has a most important lesson of its own to 
teach. This is in the difference of the angle in the face of the 
racket. Here it will be seen that the upper side of the racket 
is turned over forwards more than in the preceding plate. This 
is a matter of the greatest importance in this service. The more 
you can get on top of the ball and yet clear the net, the harder 
and faster will you be able to serve, and the longer and more 
eccentric will be yonr bound. A B shows the line of travel of 
the racket head and C D the flight of the ball. 




■"late 29. — 1 he American Service. Pinish. It is a peculi- 
arity of the American service that the finish is as shown in the 
photograph. One would almost expect the weight to be thrown 
across and on to the right leg, yet it never is ; in fact, generally 
the right foot is quite clear of the ground. The explanation is 
that all one's body weight is exerted upwardly, and this is why 
if the extreme of spin is desired it is so important to throw 
the ball well over to the left and to bend well backwards to it 
so as to get the snap of the body upwards. 




Plate 30. — Reverse American Service. The dotted line 
shows how the head of the racket falls like an Indian club 
making a turn behind one's back, and then cuts up and across 
the ball as shown bv the line on it and the continuation of the 
dotted line. Note how the weight is thrown on to the right leg 
and the body bent over to the right to get the upward hit. 



p^ — "SB 



r; — "»W". ■■ 




Plate 31. — Reverse American Service. Looking down the 
line it will be seen that the face of the racket is laid back at 
the moment of impact. It is easier to learn the stroke thus, and 
one can get a large amount of cut in this manner. Both the 
American service and the reverse American service break back 
against the way they are swerving. It is this peculiarity that 
makes them so tricky. The blow in this case is being struck 
across away from us upwardly and towards the left to A and 
the ball flies away to B. 




Plate 32. — 'Reverse American Service. This is a moment 
before impact. The dotted line shows how the racket passes 
upwards and across from right to left, imparting top or forward 
spin to the ball. In this service one faces the net. Notice the 
distribution of weight, position of ^et, and balance of left arm. 




1 J T.ATE — KEVERSE AMERICAN SERVICE. FINISH. The finish 

in this service is very similar to that of the reverse overhead 
cut service ; indeed, frequently one who serves the reverse over- 
lie ad cut well gets an American without intending it. This was 
particularly noticeable in M. Paul de Borman's fine reverse 
overhead service. The dotted line shows the travel of the hea<> 
of the racket. Notice position of feet and balance. 




Plate 34. — Waiting for Service. This is a most important 
position. One must not stand with stiff legs and in a state of 
inaction. The weight should be thrown forward on to the ball 
of the toe, and the knees slightly flexed, for you cannot start 
from a straight joint without first flexing it. The racket should 
be held as shown in the plate, and the player should be nearly 
overbalanced so as to be ready to start like a flash in any given 
direction. Stand as nearly as possible diagonally opposite to 
the server unless you know of any peculiarity in his service 
which makes it advisable to take up another position. 



Spalding^s Athletic Library. 6\ 

THE FOREHAND STROKE. 

This stroke is the foundation of nearly every player's game, 
and too much trouble in mastering it cannot be taken by any 
one who wishes to become first class. 

For the forehand stroke you must stand with your left side to 
the net and, roughly speaking, in a line towards the place you 
intend to hit the ball to. Your left foot will be in front and your 
right foot will be about eighteen inches behind it. Just as you 
are striking the ball you transfer your weight from your right 
leg to your left. If this transference is done well you will find it 
adds much to the effectiveness of your stroke. As you become 
more accurate you will probably step in to your ball as you play 
it by taking a short step with the left foot. You must always 
have your weight fairly evenly distributed until you are going to 
play a stroke. Then, in the case of a forehand drive, it is thrown 
back on to the right foot until almost the moment of making the 
stroke. 

You must, in the first instance, aim at acquiring certainty in 
returning plain balls. When you have got that you may take up 
the more difficult cut strokes and indulge in a few attempts at 
driving with plenty of pace ; but always remember that accuracy 
i« playing the plain ball strokes witlr good length and position is 
the foundation of the game. 




Plate 35. — Forehand Stroke. Swing Back. Here the ball 
is shown approaching the pbyer. The racket is swung back to 
about the level of the shoulder, the weight is on the right leg, 
and the left arm is extended to balance. Notice carefully the 
position of the feet. 




Plate 36. — Forehand Stroke. Impact. The weight is just 
being transferred to the left foot. Notice position of feet and 
balance. This is a perfectly plain stroke ; that is, the ball comes 
off the racket as if it were bounding off the wall of a house, 
I practically without spin. Notice the position of the ball both 
laterally and longitudinally with relation to the body of the 
player. With this stroke it could be played with comfort nine 
inches or a foot nearer to the left leg. This would be impos- 
sible with the English grip. 




Plate 37. — Forehand Stroke. Finish. The racket has 
struck the ball and followed after it in the line of its flight as 
though the head of the racket were being thrown after the ball. 
This is a true follow through. The stroke is a most useful one, 
and is much superior to the ordinary English forehand, which 
cramps the player's stroke too much unless he gets it exactly at 
the right distance from him. I have seen a man play a first- 
class game with no other forehand stroke but this. There are, 
however, more valuable shots on the forehand, as I shall show 
in due course. Note the position of feet and the balance. 




>£ u 




Plate 39. — Forehand Drive with Lift. I m tact. The 
weight here is transferred to the left foot and the racket is 
coming rapidly forward and upward in the line A B, producing 
the flight C D, and causing the bail to spin forward as shown 
by the arrow on it. This spin is called lift top or overspin, and ( 
it causes the ball to dip suddenly at the end of its flight, so that 
many balls which appear to be going out of court dive suddenly 
into it in a very deceptive manner. 




Plate 40. — Finish of Forehand Drive with Lift. Notice 
the transference of weight on to the ball of the toe of the left 
foot, and the finish across the body instead of straight down the 
court as in the plain stroke. 




Plate 41. — Horizontal Forehand jjrive. This stroke may 
be played with or without lift. The swing back is practically 
the same as for the forehand drive with lift, but in playing this 
stroke the head of the racket does not drop so low as is therein 
shown. 




Plate 42. — Horizontal Drive. Impact. The dotted line A 
B shows the travel of the racket head. When the ball is very 
high the top side of the racket may be inclined a little forward. 
If the stroke is then played as shown by A B, the angle of the 
face imparts top to the ball. This return may also be played 
as a lifting drive if desired. In that case the racket must cut 
up more sharply, so that A B would then be at an angle of about 
45 degrees to the court. 




Plate 44. — Forehand Drive. This is one of the most re- 
markahle strokes in the game. It is carrying out beyond what 
I say the practice of having arm and racket handle in line. This 
is the hold Miss Sutton, the American lady player, uses. It is 
hardly possible to got any more powerful stroke on the fore- 
hand, as this peculiar hold enables one to get a direct hit up- 
wards along the dotted line. This gives an immense amount of 
lift, and causes the ball to keep in court in a wonderful man- 
ner. As I have already indicated, any further development of 
the forehand drive will come from this stroke. I have not seen 
more than two or three players use this stroke. 




Plate 45. — Forehand Drive. This is the same stroke as 
shown in the preceding plate, but it is being played on a low 
ball. The racket will travel up the line A B, and the ball flies 
away down the line C D. The racket is turned over at the mo- 
ment of impact with a snap of the wrist. This turn or wrist 
flick does not roll the ball over as many think. It simply causes 
the racket to Brush across the ball more quickly, and so imparts 
to it excessive lift. For quick-dropping passing shots on either 
hand this shot is very valuable. 




Plate 46, — Forehand Drive. Finish. This is the natural 
finish of the forehand drive explained in the two preceeding 
plates. The body lifts as the stroke is played. This also is 
the natural finish for the forehand horizontal drive if the 
racket be kept about a foot lower. 



Spalding's Athletic Library. 



THE BACKHAND STROKE. 

Very many players who ought to know better continually 
make this stroke in the wrong position. The right foot should 
be in front ; in fact, the instructions for the forehand stroke 
are practically reversed. The ball is met further from the 
player's body than is the case in the forehand drive. The 
reason for this will be apparent from a study of the photographs 
in this section. No words can possibly explain the correct 
manner of producing this stroke so well as the photographs, so 
I shall deal with the peculiar points of the different shots 
as they appear in the pictures. 




Plate 48. — Backhand Stroke, this is a front view of the 
stroke in the preceding plate, and serves to show clearly the 
position of the ball laterally with relation to the striker. The 
ball being so much nearer the camera than the player, is slightly 
out of focus. 




Plate 49. — Backhand Stroke. Impact. This is a front view 
of the plain face backhand stroke shown in the two preceding 
plates. Note position of feet, hold of racket, and position of 
arm in relation to racket handle. 




Plate 50. — Backhand Stroke. Impact. This is a side view 
of the preceding plate showing relative position of ball and 
player longitudinally. This stroke is being played naturally 
without any lift, and the racket head travels as shown by dotted 
line A B. 




Plate si. — Backhand Drive. This is easily the most im- 
portant stroke on the backhand. Played in all other respects 
like the plain backhand, the racket is drawn sharply np across 
the ball as shewn by the line A B. At the same time the elbow 
is curving up in the line E F and the body is straightening. The 
result of all these motions is that this stroke can be made to 
take a large amount of lift. It is a most useful and telling 
shot, and not, like the English backhand stroke, merely a de- 
fensive shot. The cut up across the ball is generally, if any- 
thing, a little more sudden than I have shown it in the diagram- 
photograph. 




Plate 52. — Backhand Drive. The follow through from the 
last stroke shown brings one into this constrained position, so 
that a free and natural finish is impossible unless one turns the 
thumb round so that it goes up on top of the racket as shown 
in the next plate. 




Plate 53. — Backhand Drive. Finish. Here it will be seen 
that the thumb has come round on top of the racket, and thus a 
free and natural finish has been obtained. The hold of the 
racket is not relaxed in any way. The wrist simply turns and 
the finish becomes easy and natural. 




Plate 54. — Horizontal Backhand Drive. The racket is 
swung round in the dotted line and meets the ball squarely as 
shown in the next plate. Note the position of the feet. 




Plate 55. — Horizontal Backhand Drive. Impact. The 
racket here has come round at the same distance from the 
ground all the way. Note racket and arm in same straight line 
as regards force to be produced, although not so otherwise. See 
position of feet and balance of body. 



Plate 57. — English Backhand Stroke. Note the angle be- 
tween arm and racket, and that the racket is coming in under- 
neath the ball to undercut it. This action produces back spin 
which is not advisable for a staple stroke. 



Plate 58. — English Backhand Stroke. Finish. The finish 
here is got from a semicircular mowing action which has a 
marked tendency to throw the player into a cross-legged posi- 
tion. This is not by any means an exaggerated position. If 
any one thinks it is, a glance at plates 112 and 113, Great Lawn- 
tennis Players, will soon undeceive him. It is a weak, defensive 
shot, instead of as it should be, a strong, natural winner. 




Plate 59. — Forehand Lob. The lob is a most important 
stroke, and to play it consistently well requires great skill and 
delicacy of touch. As the staple of one's game it is contemptible. 
In its proper place it is an admirable and indispensable stroke. 
The best and most accurate way to lob is to let the ball fall as 
shown in the plate and then to come in under it and toss it up 
with a straight stroke as shown. This gives a perfect direction 
and also more command of length than the round-arm lob so 
commonly played in England. It is a defensive shot, and when 
in serious trouble, unless you can be sure of outlobbing your 
opponent, you should lob high. It gives you more time to get 
into position, and is, moreover, harder for him to smash, as it 
comes down fast and requires accurate timing. 




Plate 60. — Backhand Lob. This strode may be played with 
the plain face or with cut from A to B. Both strokes are good. 
Personally. I like the cut lob, as one can get a very accurate 
shot with it, but if the wind is blowing from the right-hand 
side of your court you must lob well towards the middle of the 
court, as otherwise the twist on your ball will make it swerve 
out over the side line. A good back-hand drive can be played 
with this stroke, and the forehand drive with the reverse cut 
from B to A is a good stroke for those who cannot play the 
forehand lifting drive. Notice the position of feet and that here 
l am using the old backhand grip with the leather inside my 
hand ; also observe arm in line with racket 




Plate 6i. — The Chop. Swing Back. The chop is a most 
useful stroke. There are few, if any, more effective returns off 
a high-bounding ball such as shown in the plate. The ball flies 
low, skims the net, and on striking the ground shoots low and 
fast on account of the backward rotation or spin. A good 
length chop on your opponent's backhand is always good to go 
up on. It is a very tricky stroke to play, and the man at the 
net generally gets a chance to deal with the return. 




Plate 62. — The Chop. Impact. This view shows very clear- 
ly how the chop is played from the position in the preceding 
plate. The racket travels down the line A B, cutting across the 
ball at C, and producing the flight C D. As the racket cuts 
across the intended line of flight C D, it causes the ball to re- 
volve rapidly backwards as shown by the arrow under the ball. 
This is called back spin or backward vertical rotation, and is 
the natural result of every pure chop stroke. The chop should 
not be used as a staple ground stroke, although many fine players 
do so. The forehand lifting drive is a superior stroke. 




Plate 63. — Backhand Chop. This is a stroke never seen, 
in England. 1 he racket comes from above the left ear at A, 
and is chopped smartly down the line A B. The action viewed 
from the side at the moment of contact is, so far as regards 
the face of the racket and the ball, in all respects similar to that 
shown in plate 62. It is a very useful shot, particularly for 
dropping short returns off high balls. This, of course, could be 
done by backhand cut, but in that case one has to wait for the 
ball to drop a little lower, and the stroke is not rendered any 
more certain when it has to be lifted; also time is wasted, and 
this is important. 




Plate 64. — Forehand Half-Volley. The great secret of the 
half-voile}' is smothering the bound. This is especially so in 
fast balls. Most plavers hold the face of the racket too vertically 
when making this stroke, consequently the ball flies too high. 
The art in playing this beautiful stroke consists in timing it ac- 
curately on to the racket at A, and then covering its natural 
tendency to bound upwards with a forwardly inclined racket 
face, so that it is forced to compromise and come out from under 
the racket at the angle shown by the line A B. It is essential 
to watch the ball almost on to your racket — in fact, on to it if 
you Can — for this stroke. 




Plate 65. — Backhand Half-Volley. The same principle 
must be observed on the backhand as in the forehand half-volley, 
and where practicable the "covering" of the ball should be done 
as much as possible in a line with the spot where one intends 
to place the ball. The half-volley is a beautiful and useful 
stroke, but against a player who uses much rotation it is a very 
risky one to try, for it is so hard, against a man who chops, for 
instance, to time the ball on to the centre of the racket. 




Plate 66. — Backhand TTai.f-Vou.ey. This plate shows a half- 
volley played wide from the body. Here again it will be seen 
that the racket is covering the bound of the ball. Notice the 
position of the feet and the grip of the racket. The old method 
of gripping the racket with the leather or button in the handle 
will quite likely come into favor again. No hold gives such 
freedom for wrist action, and without wrist work lawn tennis 
is a very unattractive game. 




Plate 67.— Snapping Backhand Half- Volley. Here the ball 
has nearly passed the player, but by a quick half-turn he has 
succeeded in covering it. Note that the right foot is still to- 
wards the net and the back nearly turned to the net. Had the 
ball been a yard further away, it would have been necessary to 
swing the right leg out beyond the left, and to play the "ball 
actually with the back forwards the net. Some players are 
wonderfully expert in thus snapping backhand half-volleys that 
look almost impossible. 




.Plate 68. — The Overhead Volley. Waiting for a Smash. 
This is a stroke of the utmost importance. To be a first-class 
player one must be good overhead, although certain notable 
exceptions have proved the rule. This position will be seen to be 
similar to that shown for the overhead service. Every service is 
practically an overhead volley, which when played hard is often 
called a smash. Note position of feet, distribution of weight, 
drooped shoulder, body and head well back, and balance of left 
arm. The left arm is as useful to an expert tennis player for 
balance as it is to the weight-lifter. The side of the racket 
furthest from the net is the side that will hit the ball. The 
reverse overhead cut service and the forehand cut service, par- 
ticularly the latter, make very fine overhead volleys or smashes. 




Plate 69. — Overhead Volley or -Smash. Impact. Here it 
will be seen that the weight has been transferred to the left foot, 
and in the act of passing into his stride the player has struck 
the blow with all his weight. This matter of weight transfer- 
ence is of the utmost importance. You could not throw a 
cricket-ball far unless you put your weight on to your right leg 
and then hurled it forward on to your left. Neither can you 
smash a ball at lawn tamis very well unless you do the same 
thing. 




Plate 70. — Low Forehand Volley. Notice the position of the 
feet, which are practically at right angles to each other. The 
ball is caught fairly in the middle of the racket — it is not yet 
in contact with it in the plate — and lifted over the net. The 
face of the racket must naturally be inclined backwardly away 
from the net. Some writers advise playing all low volleys with 
the head of the racket above the wrist. That is not advisable, in 
fact it is not practicable in many cases. It would certainly be 
very hard to do it in this case. Of course, nobody should ever 
play a volley underhand that can be dealt with overhead. 




Plate 71. — Low Backhand Volley. This stroke is played 
in a corresponding- manner to the low forehand volley. It may 
be played either as a plain ball shot with clean follow through, 
or it may be very accurately played by means of the cut shown 
by the dotted line A B. The forehand low volley may also be 
quite advantageously played with cut. In each case' the racket 
travels down the line A B and glances across the ball, causing 
it to spin at an angle of, about forty degrees as it goes over the 
net. This is not pure chop, of course, but approximates more 
to the forehand or other cut service. In fact, a very good serv- 
ice is frequently used by ladies, which is produced by the cut 
A B shown in plate 70. 




Plate 72. — Short Hold for Volleying. Many volleys, par- 
ticularly near the net and above the level thereof, can be verv 
efficiently dealt with by shortening the hold of the racket. Tt 
is not advised by writers and is not done by many players, but 
in many cases is unquestionably a great aid. Some of the best 
volleying Mr. N. E. Brookes, the Australian champion, ever 
did, was done with his hand half way up the handle. It should 
not, of course, be carried to excess, but when cramped for room 
there is no objection to trying it. I have no hesitation in say- 
ing that for net play in doubles it will be found very useful. The 
hall can be placed and cut with great accuracy with this stroke. 
The line A B shows how the cut which drops a volley very 
short may be played. 




Plate 7.3. — The Lob Volley. This is a most useful stroke if 
oth your opponents are close up to the net. You do not wait 
or the hall to hit the ground, hut play it in the air, as shown 
1 plate 7$, and toss it up as shown by the dotted line A B, so 
hat it is well clear of the other side's rackets yet is low and 
ast enough to prevent either of them getting it by running 
ack. Note position of feet, balance by extended arm, flat face 
f racket so as to i?et right under the ball, and arm in line with 
acket handle. 



Spalding's Athletic Lib}-ary. 



THE SINGLE GAME. 

I have already warned the player wHo wishes to become 
proficient that he must first of all aim at being accurate. 
When he can return and place with a reasonable degree of 
certainty he may start to improve his pace. Many a player 
in endeavouring to bring off electrifying drives sacrifices the 
point, whereas by a well-placed good-length ball of medium 
pace he might have scored outright, or at least have obtained 
such a position at the net as would have enabled him to kill 
the return. 

One must not be too anxious to win off every stroke. It 
may be that the ball is of such a nature that you cannot 
possibly, without undue risk, convert it into a winning stroke. 
In that case always go for length and position, and look to 
making your winning shot on the next return. Strive always 
to make your opponent play the ball so that he is at a dis- 
advantage in making his shot. 

Do not think it is necessary that your returns should just skim 
over the net. If you play for this you will see quite a large 
proportion of them going into the net. Remember that, especially 
with the forehand lifting drive, you may drive quite two feet 
above the net and yet get a good-length fair-paced return. 
Moreover, there is no object in playing too close to the net 



Spalding's Athletic Library. 103 

unless your opponent is there waiting for your return and 
you cannot out-lob him. 

In dealing with singles some writers separate the base-line 
game from the proper game, which is a judicious mixture of 
base-line play with volleying at or as close as possible to 
the net. I shall herein deal only with the proper game, as I 
would sooner recognise as a game playing the whole time from 
the service court than from the base line. The one is the 
complement of the other. Taken together they may make a 
perfect whole ; separate, they are merely halves, or portions of 
the game. There may, of course, be certain great exceptions, 
but even they only prove the soundness of this statement when 
they meet a really first-class man who plays the modern 
game. 

A player should run in on every service that is good enough, 
and, I am almost inclined to add, on many that are not. 
Theoretically it is as wrong to go in on a short, badly placed 
service as it is to follow up a return of a similar nature, but 
in actual practice it frequently pays to take risks and bustle your 
opponent. One should get right up to the net as quickly as 
he can, unless it looks as though he may be out-lobbed. In 
that case he may risk having to play a dropping volley a 
little inside the service line, and not rush up quite so fast nor 
so far as he would on a good ball. I shall deal with the various 
portions of the single game under different headings. The 
service must, of course, be considered first. 

Service. — The various kinds of services have been fully 
illustrated and described. It remains here to deal with them 
from a practical point of view. Do not consistently run in 
on the service unless it is paying you very well to do so. Your 



104 Spalding's Athletic Library. 

opponent gets used to it, and it does not worry him so much 
as it will if you come running in on odd occasions, so that he 
does not know when to expect you. When you have discovered 
your opponent's weak spot, which is generally his backhand, 
give him every opportunity to practise it, and keep away from 
his strong point. You must not overdo this, however, and when 
you have edged him across the court to cover up his weakness 
whip a sharp one across to his forehand. Have a fixed idea 
or intention in your mind with regard to every service. Know 
that you mean it to deceive or place your opponent at a 
disadvantage on account of something that you will make it 
do beyond the mere fact of hitting it hard into the service 
court, although this in itself and so far as it goes is good — 
and many can't do even that. Let your mind be working 
all the time. Notice how your opponent stands. Coax him in 
on to the centre line, then whip one across suddenly. Hit 
the side line a few times, then smash one down the middle. 
Give him a forehand cut on his backhand, a reverse overhead 
cut on his forehand ; reverse the process, and throw in an 
American or two, or perhaps a solid chop. This sounds almost 
cannibalistic, but with natural holds it is not too much to think 
that the player of the future will have a command of these 
deliveries. Mr. Brookes has them all, and other players can get 
them if they set themselves to learn. The prevalent hold quite 
"rots" the service of most English players. I was'inuch amused 
by a prominent player telling me, before I had fully explained in 
The Field and elsewhere how the American service is produced, 
that it was "no use trying," that no Englishman could get the 
service like the Americans. Certainly they cannot until they 
alter their grip, but what an American or any other man can do 



Spalding's Athletic Library. 105 

an Englishman should go very near to accomplishing ; and as 
English players have now seen an Australian player with a 
better American service than any American, they will perhaps 
take heart of grace and make it their business to acquire this 
valuable means of attack. After a series of cut services, a 
fast straight service right at your man sometimes puts him at 
a disadvantage. 

The Return of the Service. — The two returns generally used 
are a side-line drive or a cross-court shot. Your opponent 
will generally be running in, so you must try to make your 
side-line drive .clean enough to get by him or else to drop 
your cross-court stroke sharp across to the side line. The fore- 
hand drive with lift helps you very much here, for it makes 
the ball di op quickly after it has passed the net, and renders it 
very difficult for the player, even if he reaches ii, to play an 
effective shot. 

Both in serving and returning, especially in doubles, the value 
of serving down the centre of the court is not generally realised. 
In doubles it practically cuts off the telling side-line shot and 
enables the man at the net to wander nearer the middle, while in 
singles its importance is very great. 

Fig. 3 will explain the value of centring a return of the ser- 
vice. Let us suppose a player drives a ball from six or nine feet 
outside the base line — say at C to A or B. The return is almost 
covered by the man at the net M. Of course it is unnecessary 
that the return should only go to the extreme corner. It might 
pitch near the service line, but the lines taken will show the 
principle. If, however, the player is returning the ball from D, it 
is never really over the court until it strikes at A. The striker 
can also play the quick-dropping cross-court shot D E, which is 



B 



K 



..M„J/„„ 



/ i 



CO 

w 
as 



6'o 



oc 



Spalding's Athletic Library. w? 

such a formidable pass, particularly on the backhand, for it can 
be made to drop so close to the net. It will thus be seen that on 
a ball pitched at D the striker has both sides of the court open to 
him. If at any time you are caught out of position, do not hesi- 
tate, but get up to the net with all convenient speed. Of two 
evils it is the less. 

How to Receive the Service. — Generally speaking keep as 
nearly as may be diagonally opposite the server. This may 
not do in some of the cut services, but you must then exer- 
cise your own judgment, always remembering to let the 
service, American or otherwise, break in to you and play it 
on the hand it comes naturally to ; in other words, do not let 
it break across you and play it after it has crossed your 
body. This cannot always be done, but when it can, as in the 
American service, it is the best way to deal with it. The 
American service swerves from the server to your right and then 
breaks back to your left directly it hits the ground. If you know 
that it is an American, don't mind it swerving away out to the 
right. Stand well clear of it on the left, and when it comes to you 
on the forehand deal with it vigorously. Don't pat it, or the 
work on it will kill your stroke. Hit it hard, preferably with a 
little lift, for that will kill the lift which is already on the service. 
You will remember that all American services are obtained by 
lift or top. Sometimes, of course, you will get a service that is 
only forehand cut and not American. Then you will be left 
lamenting, but that won't happen very often for years to come, 
for it is a rare thing here to see a player with three services, or 
indeed for the matter of that with two. 

When you have played your stroke always make for that part 
of the court which is most exposed. Don't wait to see what your 



ro8 Spalding's Athletic Library. 

opponent is going to do, but make for the open spot without 
hesitation. This is the soundest of sound advice. I know one 
tine active young player who is always racing about the court like 
a mountain goat because he waits too long after he has played 
his shot before he starts for the other place. The odds are at 
least ten to one in favour of it going as far from you as it can be 
put. Very few players consistently return the ball to the same 
spot, although it is a good thing to do now and again. It is, 
however, important to give your man all the exercise you can and 
to make him play his shots on the run. Never be fixed during a 
rest. Always be moving, or at least standing with knees flexed 
and weight thrown forward so that you can start at once. 

Do not consider it necessary, because your opponent is running 
in at you, to drive at him. In these circumstances soft-, quick- 
dropping cross-court shots are the deadliest passes. They may 
be used on both backhand and forehand, and are most difficult to 
get to, and if indeed they are reached they are very hard to treat 
with any approach to severity, for the attacking player has to lift 
them up at the end of his run, and he cannot do much with them. 
When in position at the net you should volley sharply across 
court, so as to get away from your opponent as much as possible. 

The Lob. — The lob has been very fully explained by photo- 
diagram and letterpress. Both the lob and the lob volley are 
most useful strokes, and they will get you out of difficulties 
frequently when no other stroke is available. 

You should always endeavour to anticipate the nature of your 
opponent's return. It is not enough merely to knov^ what he has 
done after he has hit the ball if you can do more. You should 
study his play and the manner in which he makes his shots, so 
that you know what he is going to do. Tf you can do this — and 



Spalding's Athletic Library. 100 

with most players it is possible — you will save much valuable time 
and also be able to economise your strength considerably. 



THE DOUBLE GAME. 

In the double game there are four methods of returning the 
service in general use : — 

The Side-line Drive. — This consists of playing your stroke so 
that the ball travels nearly parallel with the side line. It requires 
clean and cool execution, for generally the man at the net does 
not leave one too much room in which to pass him. It is quite 
useful to prevent the man opposite you from getting over too 
much to the centre of the net and so cutting off your return. 
With a well-centred service the side-line shot is practically cut 
out and the man at the net may stand much nearer in to the 
centre of the court. I have seen some players go even beyond 
this. One well-known pair sometimes places the server's partner 
in the same half of the court as the server, and the latter, after 
serving down the centre of the court, runs in across the court to 
the place usually occupied by the server's partner. This is a 
very puzzling formation for the striker-out. The value of the 
central service or return has never been fully recognised by lawn- 
tennis writers, but that famous tactician, Mr. E. G. Meers, is 
strongly of opinion that it is a most valuable form of attack. In 
his able and interesting chapter on the advanced tactics of the 
single game contributed to my second work, Great Lawn-tennis 
Players, he clearly shows its value. 

The Cross-court Drive. — This is the stroke where the value of 
the lifting drive is seen. No other stroke will give you the 
command of such an acute angle or so quick-dropping a shot 



110 Spalding's Athletic Library. 

as will the drive with lift, whether on the forehand or the back- 
hand. It may be played quite slowly, and is then a most trying 
return to deal satisfactorily with ; or, if a short, high-bounding 
ball, it can be driven "out of sight" with plenty of "top" on the 
stroke. A good slow chop also makes a fine cross-court passing 
shot, but it never gets to the ground so quickly as a lightly 
played forehand stroke with lift. 

The Centre Drive. — This is perhaps the best and safest return 
in a double. Frequently there will be some doubt as to who 
will take it, and it is thus allowed a free passage ; frequently also 
that same momentary hesitation, even when it is played, causes 
the stroke to be imperfect. Quite often when there is plenty of 
lift on the ball your opponent lets it go, and has the mortification 
of seeing the forward spin bring it down well within the court. 
Then he won't take any more risks, and "goes for everything," 
so that very often you get the benefit of the doubt so far as 
regards your length, and as you are running no risks with side 
lines, you have quite a good chance of scoring. The centre 
drive, especially if the man at the net allows you plenty of room, 
as he not infrequently does by standing too near his side line, is 
a very paying shot, and quite the safest return, particularly for 
a fast drive. 

The Lob. — The lob is, generally speaking, a defensive stroke, 
but if your opponents have the sun in their eyes it is not a bad 
idea to treat them to a few lobs. If when you get into the 
"sunny" court they retaliate, and you find the sun troublesome, 
let the lobs bound and kill them when at the top of their bound 
or at a suitable elevation for the purpose. In lobbing, as in 
nearly every other stroke, except when merely lobbing quickly 
to pass your opponents, you must try to get a good length and 



Spalding's Athletic Library. in 

keep away from the side lines. A good lob on the side line 
would probably be a good lob six feet inside the court, so don't 
run any unnecessary risks. 

Each player should, unless otherwise arranged, attend to his 
own lobs. If he cannot smash them well he should try to get 
them back with good enough length to go in on, unless his 
opponents are up, as they should be if the lob is " deep" or well 
back to the base line. If they are in position there are two ways 
of playing it. He must either smash it vigorously or reply with 
another lob. In volleying or smashing any lob it is of importance 
that the player should get well under the ball, as shown in the 
plate illustrating the forehand service. If he hits it when it is 
away out in front of him he will almost certainly put it in 
the net. 

The service should be so delivered that the server is practi- 
cally thrown into his stride for the net by the follow through. 
He should lose no time in getting to the net. He must not trot 
up. He must gallop, so that he is in position to play the ball 
downwards instead of having to hit it upwards from about the 
service line. 

The server's partner should stand up quite close to the net for 
the first service, and perhaps for the second ; if there appears to 
be danger of a lob he may retreat a yard or two, but not other- 
wise, for unless you are going to be lobbed the nearer you are 
to the net the better. Always move, or appear to be moving, 
towards the centre of the court, so as to cut off your opponent's 
return. It makes him pull his return more across the court and 
into your partner's hands than he might otherwise do. When 
you are the striker-out try a straight drive at the man at the net 
occasionally. Try to hit him in the middle low down. He is 



ri2 Spalding's Athletic Library. 

often caught out of position, for it is an awkward stroke for him 
to make, either forehand ot backhand. 

I now have to deal with a very important question of tactics 
in the double game, and that is the position of the striker-out's 
partner. Quite two years ago I indicated that the formation 
adopted in England was the chief blot on English double-play. 
An English player generally stands in the service-court when his 
partner is receiving. I have always condemned this practice. 
Messrs. R. F. and H. L. Doherty were in the habit of doing it. 
I pointed out repeatedly in The Field and elsewhere that when 
one man is striking-out and the other is at or near the net any 
imperfect return by the striker-out either leaves his partner 
absolutely at the mercy of the opposing net player, as he will get 
the ball banged at his feet or it will be placed in the great cross- 
court gap that this formation opens up. 

Messrs. R. F. and H. L. Doherty tried this faulty formation 
when they met the Australian pair, A. W. Dunlop and 
N. E. Brookes, at Queen's Club. Dunlop at the net banged 
everything at R. F. Doherty's feet, and made him look as 
helpless as a kitten. In the end the English champions lost a 
hard-fought match of five sets. As I had always so heartily 
condemned their formation, I drew attention to this marked 
instance of its weakness, and stated that no pair which adopted 
that position could hope to win against the American players, 
Ward and Wright. In that match, when one of the brothers 
was receiving the other stood on the base line also. This is the 
proper position. Once or twice they tried the old formation, 
promptly paid the inevitable penalty and returned to the proper 
formation. In a hard five-set match they just managed to win. 
On their old formation they would have been hopelessly beaten. 



Spa /ding's Athletic Library. 113 

It may therefore be taken as settled tactics that the proper 
position for the striker-out's partner is on or near the base line 
in his own half-court and nearly in a line with the striker-out. 

When the return of the striker-out justifies it they must both 
go in together, still in line and still the same distance apart from 
each other, so as to cover as much of the court as possible. 
This is quite an important point. I never had any doubt o f the 
faultiness of the formation, and until I came to England I »are!\ 
saw it used by first-class players. 

MIXED DOUBLES. 

Lady players are improving so much in their volleying that 
before long it may be unnecessary to devote a special chapter to 
this game, for when they have reached a certain state of expert- 
riess the rules laid down for men's doubles will govern the play 
in this class of matches. This is what every lady should aim at. 
She should, if her strength and activity are equal to the strain, 
try to play the game like a man. She probably won't quite 
succeed, but she will play better than if she sets out with the idea 
that she is a mere woman and that the man has to do all the 
work and make the winning strokes. 

As the game is now played the lady nearly always plays in 
the forehand court and on the base line, and the man at the net. 
This is the accepted formation, but it has often seemed to me 
that it is open to improvement. I have frequently put my 
partner, if she is not too bad on the backhand, on the left side of 
the court. She can always stand wide, and so to a great extent 
cover her backhand. In a mixed, the man always thinks before 
he has played his stroke that he can win that particular rest. 
Of course he cannot count on it, but that doesn't matter. The 



ii4 Spalding's Athletic Library. 

opposing lady frequently has something of the same idea in her 
mind, and not infrequently the man does win his' shot. His 
partner is then playing her shot knowing if she does miss it that 
it will only bring them level again, and she does not feel the 
responsibility so greatly as she will if she knows that missing her 
shot will give the other side the lead. For instance, at deuce, 
when she is playing from the forehand corner, she knows that if 
she misses her shot her opponents have secured a great 
advantage. On the other hand, if she is in the left court and 
her partner has won the last point, she will go for her shot with 
much greater nerve, knowing that it means a win or simply 
bringing it back to the man again to secure the lead. I do not 
really say that there is any particular advantage to be gained in 
changing from the present method, but the idea is quite worthy 
of consideration. In favour of the present formation it must be 
borne in mind that the lady has three good shots open to her, 
namely, the side-line drive, the cross-court drive, or slow-pass ; 
and all of them on the forehand. There will have to be solid 
practical advantages in the suggested position to counteract 
these, but for some pairs those advantages do exist, and if the 
lady is very good on the backhand the formation is well worth 
trying. 

While the man is serving, his partner, unless she is a good 
volleyer, must stand a little outside the base line and not very 
far from her corner of the court. The man should always follow 
up his service unless it is quite too bad to go in on, and this, of 
course, occasionally happens with the best of players. In a 
mixed double the man should hit everything he can reach on 
the volley, and he should try to reach everything on the volley. 
In that sentence is summed up practically the whole of man's 



Spalding's Athletic Library. 115 

duty to woman — in a mixed double. He must dart across and 
cut off the lady's return every time he can. This makes her seek 
for the side lines, and frequently she goes over them, especially 
if just as she is making her stroke she sees the man darting 
across to intercept her return. Unless the lady tries a side-line 
pass, which she will only do now and again, or a lob which she 
considers infra dig. as a regulation shot, she has practically 
nothing left but the cross-court shot. Now as the man at the 
net is always hunting her returns as wide across court as he can 
make her«put them, it follows that generally after her service the 
lady, if she is still playing from the base line, may " spread out " 
to at least the corner of the court, and probably beyond, for the 
man at the net can cover a very wide angle and force the 
opposing lady to play so sharply across court that her return 
will frequently drop somewhere near the service line. If the 
server gives her some well-centred good-length services it will 
increase her difficulty in avoiding the man at the net. 

The man must stand in near the net while the lady is serving. 
He must always be so close as to enable him by one or two 
steps to get near enough to the net to play the ball on the 
volley before it has begun to drop, and he must be equally 
ready to chase the lob if it is played over his head, unless he 
has any arrangement with his partner that she shall take the 
lobs and that they shall change sides until the end of the rest 
or until another lob comes along. 

While her partner is receiving the service the lady must 
always stand back with him, on or behind the base line. No 
matter how well she volleys, it would be perfectly futile for 
her to take up the position generally assumed by an English 
player in men's double while his partner is receiving. This for 



iik Spalding's Athletic Library. 

either men or ladies is, against those who know the game, only 
the position to lose from. 

The man should take great risks in a mixed. The lady dearly 
loves to pass him, and gets more satisfaction out of doing that 
once than she does from winning legitimately off the opposing 
lady five times ; but she has the fear of him all the time in her 
mind, so that generally she wisely tries to keep well away from 
him and get to the lady. Knowing this, he should run in well 
to the lady's side of the court, and on every occasion during 
a rest when he has seen the shot decided on and the racket 
half-way through the stroke he should charge across even unto 
the single side lines and cut off the return. The moral effect 
of his continued activity and ubiquitous interference is a 
very great factor in determining the level of the opposing lady's 
play. A good man can in a mixed double quite unsettle a 
lady player's game unless she is very cool and skilful. Of course, 
now and again the interfering man will get passed on his 
exposed side, but it is a question of average, and he must work 
it out for himself, and see how many rests he wins for those 
he throws away by bearing to one side of the court ; also, of 
course, he must not do it all the time, as any tactics that become 
stereotyped lose a great deal of their value. More than half 
the art in playing lawn tennis lies in concealing your intention 
and the nature of your stroke. 

One of the best shots a lady can play to escape the man's 
attentions is a diagonal or cross-court lob. I say cross-court 
because a low cross-court lob will be much more out of his 
reach than if you try to put a lob of the same height straight 
over him, for he has to run across and get under it before he 
can reach it. This is what makes a low lob down the side line 



Spalding's Athletic Library. n? 

such a fine passing shot. If it were at the height of your oppo- 
nent's shoulder he would perhaps be able to step out and reach 
it, but if it were a low lob over exactly the same place he would 
have to come across right under it and strike up for it. There 
is a wonderful difference, too little appreciated by players, 
between these two things. 

Some services nearly always worry ladies very much. They 
never seem able to understand which way they will jump. In 
all ordinary cut services such as the fore underhand cut, the 
overhead forehand cut, and the reverse overhead cut, the ball 
breaks the opposite way to that in which the racket passes 
across it, so that in the underhand cut, for instance, the racket 
cuts across the ball from right to left, and the ball breaks from 
left to right ; but in the American services which are produced 
by lift or upward cut the ball always breaks the same way as 
the racket goes through the air. These are infallible rules, 
and should be of assistance to those players who are puzzled, 
and few are not, by the bound of the American service. 

LADIES' SINGLES. 

This is not a game by itself. The highest development of it 
must naturally be the nearest approximation to the standard set 
by the men. There are practically no general rules that can be 
laid down for lady players who desire to excel at singles that are 
not already stated in the chapter on the single game. Many will 
find running in on their service all the time much too tiring. 
They must therefore choose their occasions all the mote dis- 
creetly. This remark also applies with equal force in regard 
to attacking at the net. The lady player must choose her 
opportunity for going up with judgment so as to spare herself 



n8 Spalding's Athletic Library. 

as much as possible, and above everything she must not be 
discouraged at losing the shot, particularly if she is convinced 
she was right in going up. For a long time, if necessary, she 
must be satisfied to say, " Well, it certainly was my rest if I had 
played that shot right. I ought to have won it, but I didn't play 
the stroke properly. Never mind ; / was in the right place, and 
I'll have another try at it directly I get a chance." If volleying 
is taken on in this spirit any lady with a good eye will soon 
improve wonderfully, but she must always remember to hold 
her racket firmly and io hit the ball with it, not to wait for the ball 
to hit the racket. 

It is important for all players to try to get a good idea of the 
angles of the court. A player should be able to tell when he 
sees a ball coming at him exactly where it will pitch if he leaves 
it alone. Few are very good at this, and the consequence is that 
many a ball that is going out is played, and many a ball is not 
played that afterwards drops well within the boundaries of the 
court. This is a matter worthy of the most careful study on the 
part of any one who desires to play a really scientific game of 
lawn tennis. 

LADIES' DOUBLES. 

There is practically nothing in connection with the ladies' 
double game that may not be found in the chapter on " The 
Double Game.'' It will be observed that in neither case have I 
labelled the games " Men's," for, as a matter of fact, the men have 
no special monopoly of them. 

A lady's double as it is sometimes pla) r ed, where all four 
players wander round the base line and indulge in interminable 
rests of semi-lobs, to the distraction of the unfortunate umpire 
and the clearance of the pavilion seats, is fortunately almost a 



Spalding's Athletic Library. n 9 

thing of the past. Nearly always there will be one or two of the 
ladies who are able to volley, and this enlivens matters very much. 
If both of the ladies can volley, then a ladies' double must be 
played as much like the double game as they can play it. If only 
one of a pair can volley, that pair must play a mixed double game. 
If neither of the players can volley, my advice is to go and learn 
without delay, for in that case she is only toying with a portion 
of the game and missing the most beautiful part of it. 

TOURNAMENT PLAY. 

Equanimity is one of the most important qualities for a tourna- 
ment player to possess. There is nearly always trouble in getting 
umpires, and many who volunteer are more willing than able. 
Consequently the player frequently has to put up with the most 
annoying and foolish decisions both as to law and fact, and if he 
allows these to annoy and upset him he is taking upon himself an 
extra handicap. 

It is advisable before any match to have a " knock up " for five 
or ten minutes, so that you do not start until your limbs are easy 
and you have "got your eye in." 

Never ease up in a match. It is very often quite difficult to 
recover yourself. No matter how poor your opponent is, if you 
want to win beat him while you can, and as well as you can. 
The effect of easing up is twofold. Firstly, you go off your game, 
and probably cannot get going again just when you want to, and 
your opponent gets "heartened up" and comes at you with 
renewed vigour and hope ; moreover, you may have to play 
another and stiffer match soon after, and you will perhaps 
find that you are suffering from the effects of your slack play. 
Particularly at lawn tennis the game is to win while you can. 



120 Spalding's Athletic Library. 

Some very marvellous recoveries have been made at lawn 
tennis. Men who wanted but one stroke to win the champion- 
ship of England have lost that stroke — and the championship. 
Remember this. It may come into your mind when you want 
comfort. Remember, the game is never won so long as there is 
a rest to be played. Always keep in mind the fact that if you are 
feeling absolutely done it is very probable that the other fellow 
is as bad, if not worse. 

Always get a look at the play of the man you are going to meet 
unless you know his game. This will often save' you valuable 
time on the court, for you have been able in cold blood to consider 
his play and form certain conclusions which you go into court 
prepared to experiment with. If they are not right, you must 
find others. Weigh carefully anything any one of experience 
may say to you between sets, as it is very true that the onlooker 
sees most of the game. 

If you want any stimulant, take a little coca wine, some whisky 
and water, or any other thing of a similar nature that you are in 
the habit of using. Do not however drink during a match 
unless you are very thirsty, and then take as little as you can. 
You should always endeavour to regulate your meals so that you 
have not to play for half an hour to an hour afterwards. If you 
are playing a very protracted match long after a meal, it is not 
unwise to take a little chocolate or a biscuit. It is frequently 
worth more than alcohol. 

PRACTICE AND TRAINING. 

My own opinion about training for lawn tennis is that a player 
should live much the same life as he generally does. I do not think 
there is any necessity for any special dieting. Some men win on 



Spalding's Athletic Library. 121 

vegetables and patent biscuits, and bore your life out telling 
you about it ; others win on half-raw steaks and plenty of ale 
with a copious supply of eggs thrown in. A judicious blend of 
these two " systems " is probably what will be found to answer 
best. 

If you are inclined to put on flesh, avoid all fatty and sugary 
substances and do not drink too much, especially at your meals. 
If it agrees with you, a glass of ale at luncheon is good food. I 
use the word " food " advisedly. At last championship I was 
particularly struck by the want of snap and life in the work of 
some members of the American team. There was a quite 
unaccountable listlessness in their play. I was horrified when I 
heard that "John Barleycorn" had been shut off completely. 
Training as they do, I think a glass of ale every day, and " when 
they feel like it " a good bottle of wine, would do them far more 
good than otherwise — but one must not "feel like it" too often. 

It is important when training for big matches to get all the 
work possible against good men. The amount to be taken 
depends very much on the man. Some men would get " stale " 
on what would be gentle exercise for others. So much depends 
on a man's habit of body and his constitution that it is impossible 
to lay down any general rules. Each case must be taken on its 
own circumstances and with due consideration for the idiosyn- 
crasies of the subject both as to work and diet if one would do the 
best with his men. Training a body of men as one man is in 
many cases simply courting failure. Soda-water may suit one 
man perfectly, but to most men in training it would be as bad as 
medicine. I am not a brewer's advocate, but my own experience 
and that of many others is that in moderation ale is beneficial. 
So with work, where one man will play five sets every day and 



122 Spa/ding's Athletic Library. 

revel in it another will find three sets three or four times a week 
quite enough. 

If you find your wind is not good I should advise sharp, fast 
walks of two or three miles, finishing up nearing home with a 
quarter-mile spin, then a rub down and a shower. For a man 
who is in fairly good fettle much training will not be required for 
the ordinary best-of-three-sets match, but it is another thing if he 
has to contest a hard five-set championship match on a trying 
day. Then he wants to be as fit as hands and ale and wine and 
anything else that suits him can make him. If possible he should 
have a trainer to look after him, for there is no more severe task 
in the world of games than that I have just referred to, and unless 
a man is perfectly fit he runs great risk of overstraining himself. 

I do not think you should smoke much while training. It does 
not seem to trouble some men, but generally speaking it is, I 
think, bad, especially if you inhale the smoke. 

You should, of course, avoid late hours and all undue excitement. 
Generally speaking a man will do quite well in training who leads 
a moderate, healthy life and takes all the work he can without 
inducing slackness. I have no time for the fanatics who measure 
out the proteids and carbo-hydrates, and the number of bacilli 
a man should assimilate every seventy-six and three-quarter 
minutes. Moderation and natural conditions, fresh air and 
plenty of work and sleep, are of practical importance. 

When practising, stop playing directly you lose interest in the 
game. Do not go on playing slackly. When you cease to be 
keen it is time to stop and take a walk or a rest, as you feel 
inclined. I do not necessarily mean mentally inclined, for you 
may be lazy, but if you feel that you need the rest and not the 
walk, the rest's the thing, and vice versa. 



Spalding'' s Athletic Library. «o 

Practise your strokes assiduously, particularly those you are 
most deficient in. If you can get any one to toss you up some 
lobs, smash thirty or forty every day from all parts of the court. 
Get right under them and fling yourself at them. Don't leave 
your arm to do the work, for by itself it cannot do it properly. 
Step on to your smash, so that you may put it away to the best 
advantage. 

Practise all the services — forehand cut, reverse cut, and both 
Americans — always so that you may have these for a change from 
the plain fast service or the ordinary lifting service, which I shall 
refer to hereafter. 

Then try some half-volleys, always remembering to cover the 
bound of the ball. Let the ball pass you, swing round, and see 
how far past you it is possible to snap a backhand half-volley. 
You should rarely, if ever, play a half-volley if by getting to it you 
can convert it into a volley. Two sound maxims, in play or in 
practice, are : " Never let a ball hit the ground if you can play a 
fair stroke off it on the volley," and " Never play a ball underhand 
if you can treat it as an overhead volley." The soundness of 
these maxims is obvious. In both cases you save time. This is 
" of the essence of the contract," as the lawyers say, in volleying ; 
also in each case the stroke mentioned as preferable is more 
certain than its rival. These two points are much neglected^ 
particularly by English players, who constantly return weak 
half-volleys because they will not go up and make them into 
volleys, and who in many cases deliberately wait and play the ball 
as a low volley instead of jumping in under it and killing it. 

Play as many different styles of players, particularly as regards 
service, as you can. This is very important, as you thus become 
accustomed to all classes of deliveries. Most men run in a lot 



124 Spalding's Athletic Library. 

nowadays. Always have one good steady old base-liner once a 
week if you can get him. This is quite an important matter, and 
I must tell you the reason. You will find that the persistent 
rusher ruins your length. You have nothing to think of but 
passing him, and most of your shots, as a matter of fact, are 
quick-dropping cross-court strokes, or side-line shots, without 
any length. If you then take on a good player who mixes his 
game well — that is, combines base-line play with judicious 
attacking at the net — you will find, to your great disgust, that your 
length is entirely gone. The length of the English players, 
except one or two fine base-line players, is from this cause very 
poor indeed. As a matter of fact, the ladies who have to rely on 
their length to a great extent, and are not, generally speaking, 
worried by being attacked at the net in singles, particularly on 
the return of service, are infinitely better than the men in this 
important branch of the game. Their good length is as 
remarkable as is the men's bad length. 

THE IMPORTANCE OF LAWN TENNIS. 

Few people realise the high place that lawn tennis already 
occupies in the games of the world. It may already quite fairly 
be styled the most international of games. I give here by 
courtesy of the proprietors of that famous sporting paper, The 
Field, an article which it was my privilege to contribute to its 
columns, and which has since been reprinted in almost every 
place where lawn tennis is played. 

From The Field of January 21, 1905 : — 

The Importance of Lawn Tennis. 

" There are many who thoroughly appreciate the value of 
lawn tennis both as mental and physical training, but these, I am 



Spalding's Athletic Library. 125 

afraid, form but a small minority. Lawn tennis is a game which 
calls for many of the highest qualities which a man should 
possess. To excel at it one must have courage, stamina, strength 
tempered with restraint, equanimity under adverse circum- 
stances, quickness of eye and mind to see and decide, and of 
body and limbs to execute. 

" In this game there is required considerable strength to drive, 
serve, and smash, but this must be accompanied with sufficient 
restraint to keep the ball within proper limits. At golf the 
player has a stationary ball to think about and settle himself 
down to comfortably, ere he plays his stroke, and his opponent 
does not stand in front of him, with extended club and doing his 
best to intercept and ruin his shot ; but at lawn tennis the player 
not only has to put up with this, but he must frequently play his 
ball on the run ; as he runs he must rapidly pass in review in his 
mind how that ball left his opponent's racket, what it is doing in 
the air, what it will do when it hits the ground, and he must also 
from his opponent's actions make up his mind what the latter is 
going to do to try to spoil the effectiveness of his return, for in 
lawn tennis it is the duty of every self-respecting player, directly 
he has made a good stroke, to get into such a position at the net 
or elsewhere as to be able to cover as much of the court as 
possible, and so spoil his opponent's return. In this respeci 
lawn-tennis singles differ materially from most games, for the 
players are in direct personal and individual conflict, with the 
same ball as the medium of strife. In golf the player's good or 
bad play does not in any way affect the position of his opponent's 
ball, except now and again by a stymie. 

" It differs also from tennis, fives, and similar games in 
that the ball is continually bounding beyond the court, and 



126 Spa/ding's Athletic Library. 

thereby causing much running, whereas in the other games the 
ball bounds off the walls into the court ; and on account of this 
I think the game calls for more refinement of strength than do 
the indoor games. To have a severe drive a man must put some 
strength into his work, but he must know how to regulate that 
strength, or it will be useless to him. 

" At cricket a player knows that to be dangerous a ball has to 
pitch within a very limited area as to length and width, and he is 
always ready and waiting in the best place to meet the delivery. 
It is not so in lawn tennis. The player has a wide area wherein 
he may place the ball, and he naturally endeavours to put it as 
far away from the opposing player as he can. The ball must 
thus be played while the striker-out is running, and it stands to 
reason that this cannot be so accurately done as when one is 
standing still and waiting for the ball. 

" It must be apparent to the ordinary observer that the 
tendency of British sport is to make for solidity and soundness, 
instead of brilliancy. I always think there should be a greater 
leaven of brilliancy in our sport than there is. Other nations 
have it, and we should. No impartial critic will attempt to deny 
that much of our cricket is of such a nature that it scarcely 
serves to keep one awake on a warm afternoon after a good 
lunch. On the other hand, I have seen matches, such as the last 
Gentlemen and Players, which made one sit up and look round. 

" I have followed sport in many countries, and everywhere the 
same thing has been borne in upon me. The tendency of 
British sport is not to encourage prompt thought and dashing 
execution, yet it should be. What the boy is in play he 
frequently is in work. Make him quick and alert in his play, 
and it is quite a chance the characteristic will enter into his 



Spalding's Athletic Library. 127 

everyday life. Lawn tennis, I have been told, is actually 
forbidden in some schools, lest it should interfere with cricket. 
I cannot believe that it is so, but if it is I say without hesitation 
that it is ill-considered and unsportsmanlike to do such a thing. 
Cricket should require no such pampering. It is good enough 
in itself if played with a little more dash and a little more 
intellect in the bowling ; but I am afraid that much of our 
bowling is sadly mechanical, even as is the service in lawn 
tennis. 

" There is no game where a man's individuality has such scope 
as in lawn tennis. He enters the court on a broiling summer's 
day, faces his opponent, and knows that he may be in for three 
or four hours of the most gruelling work in athletics, for there is 
no game which makes such a call on one's endurance as a hard 
five-set match on a hot day. He may be playing a man 
personally distasteful to him ; he is in personal conflict with 
him all the time ; his best shots are snapped up at the net and 
spoiled ; he has no sense of divided responsibility as in a double, 
or when he is a member of a team of cricketers. He must call 
up all his resources and realise that it is he, and he alone, who 
must by his quickness of thought and action strive to come out 
on the winning side. Then again there is the great scope which 
is open to the scientific player who understands what can be 
done by rotation of the ball. The full comprehension of this 
and the ability, by means of it, to play on an opponent's 
weaknesses or neutralise his strength, will open u^) a new 
era in the game. 

" I cannot truthfully say that lawn tennis as played in England 
now inculcates all (his, but I know it will do so before many 
years, when it has taken its proper place amongst games, and 



128 Spa/ding's Athletic Library. 

few apparently even amongst lawn-tennis players have ever 
given a thought as to what that place is. I venture to predict 
that it is of the highest, for not only will the proper game of 
modern lawn tennis develop in the youth of the nation many 
desirable qualities of physical and mental dash, for which as a 
nation we are not at present famous, steadiness and solidity 
being more our pride, but it will be found that it will take a very 
high place amongst the nations of the world. 

"Already the game, as played in England, is played in Russia, 
Germany, Norway and Sweden, France, America, India, Austra- 
lasia, and all British colonies, besides many lands which I have 
not mentioned. Of what other game can this be said ? Lawn 
tennis is even now perhaps the ' most international game.' I 
want lawn-tennis players to realise the dignity of the game, the 
beauty that is in it when played as they can play it an they will, 
and then they will see to it that lawn tennis takes its proper 
place. 

" Some years ago at the Antipodes I inaugurated a boys' and a 
girls' championship. I was much surprised and pleased to see 
what great interest was taken in the event. I think if the same 
were- done here, and the event confined to singles for those in 
their teens, the effect on the game could not be other than good. 
It might be held immediately after the men's championship, and 
the intense rivalry which would exist to be boy or girl champion 
of England would carry interest in the game into the family, and 
lead to the tennis lawn being seen in private grounds more often 
than it is, and to one who knows how to use and appreciate it 
there is no more charming or healthful adjunct to a home than 
the tennis lawn. Many years ago there was something done in 
the way of a boys' championship, but I cannot remember that 



Spalding's Athletic Library. 129 

the two events were attended to, nor do I think any serious 
effort was made to render the event a permanent fixture. 

"One of the chief causes of our gracious King's great popularity 
is the fact that he is an ardent sportsman, and I feel sure, were 
the facts of the case as regards lawn tennis put before him by 
the proper authorities, that it would not be long before our 
delightful meetings at Wimbledon would be graced by the 
presence of Royalty, and the patronage thus accorded would do 
much to make the game speedily more popular and remove some 
of the disabilities under which it suffers now. There is no finer 
game for Young England, and in these days, when the cry of 
physical deterioration is resounding throughout the land, every 
park and common should have its lawn-tennis courts, and the 
game should be encouraged as much as possible. So should we 
make of our growing youth healthier and more active and alert 
men and women in every way. The Prince of Wales is the 
President of the Hockey Association. I think we can at least 
claim that lawn tennis is as worthy of encouragement as hockey. 

" I commend this matter to those who should move in it, and 
if I or my pen can be of any assistance I shall be always ready. 
This is with me no fad, for although I love lawn tennis as it 
deserves to be loved, I have played nearly every game that is to 
be played, and do not, as do so many, think there is only one 
game." 

* * * 

There can be no doubt that as a game for the English people 
lawn tennis, or even baseball, is preferable to cricket as at present 
played. If I were to go out and play a man lawn tennis for 
three days under such conditions as made it impossible for me 
at the end of this awful period to say definitely who was the 



T 3o Spalding's Athletic Library. 

better man, I should know my proper place was — well, let us say 
elsewhere. 

The conditions under which cricket is now played are dull, 
antediluvian, and soporific. They are not calculated to exercise 
either the mind or the body overmuch, and what with boundary 
hits, short overs, long adjournments, and the theory of bowling 
at anything rather than the wicket, the game is degenerating into 
a rather mournful farce. This should not be. It is a grand 
game, and if taken in hand and modernised — and this can be 
done without interfering with its hoary old traditions — it will 
regain its hold on the public ; but it is drifting now, and unless 
something is done to enliven the game the day is not far distant 
when it will cease to be our national sport. 

Last year there was formed in London an association which 
is, I believe, destined to have an important influence on the 
future of lawn tennis. It is called The South London School- 
girls' Lawn-tennis Association. I was present at the first 
championship of this Association, and hope to be present at 
many more, for this is a move in the right direction. Soon, I 
have no doubt, there will spring up other associations of a similar 
kind, and they will not be confined to the girls. These will in 
due course have their governing body, and they will be a 
valuable recruiting-ground from which we may replenish the 
attenuated ranks of our first-class players. 

While on the subject of the importance of lawn tennis I 
cannot pass without mention the attitude of the public schools 
towards this grand game, the game of all outdoor games 
that gives greatest scope for individuality, resourcefulness, and 
quickness of decision — all qualities not too strongly in evidence 
in the average public-school boy, 



Spa/ding's Athletic Library. 131 

ft seems almost incredible, yet it is the fact, that in these 
schools lawn tennis is barred because the authorities are afraid 
it will oust cricket. They evidently, at least, have a fair- idea 
of the respective merits of the two games. Another way it is 
put is that lawn tennis is too much of a game where one goes 
" on his own," and does not therefore call for that spirit of 
comradeship that the cricket club does. How much there 
is in this any one who has ever played, or even seen played, 
a decent double game will know. It is merely another instance 
of that stupendously crass ignorance which dominates the 
education of England, an ignorance which prompts men to 
force down the youth's mental oesophagus stale pabulum that 
merely cumbers his cerebral digestion while at the same time 
they deny him access to much that would brighten and tune up 
his mind and make him in every way a better sportsman and 
a brighter fellow. Plain talking this, and I struggled hard to 
keep my metaphor unmixed, but the truth is that both on the 
mental and the physical sides in English public-school life there 
are some perfectly delightful festoons of mouldy cobwebs. 
"Dirty Dick's" fortune would be made if he could get them. 
I might perhaps draw the attention of those who are responsible 
for this unsportsmanlike treatment of a fine game to the fact 
that lawn tennis has not yet ruined university cricket. 

We now have the board schools playing lawn tennis, the 
universities are quife keen about it, it is most popular with 
the public, and it is barred by the public schools. 

I have always been surprised at the relatively small share of 
attention that the game gets from the press. This, I am 
pleased to say, has not been so bad of late years. It is quite 
a revelation to any one who thinks lawn-tennis players form 



l * 2 Spalding's Athletic Library. 

a small class to go round the manufactories of the great racket- 
making firms and see the tens of thousands of rackets that are 
being turned out. Secretaries of tournaments and all who have 
the interest of the game at heart should make it their business 
to see that all matters of interest in connection with the game 
are duly handed to the press, for that is the way that even a 
vigorously growing game like lawn tennis must be assisted 
if it is to take its proper place. 

ENGLISH, AMERICAN, AND AUSTRALASIAN LAWN 
TENNIS COMPARED. 

In Modern Lawn Tennis, published during the All England 
Championship meeting of 1904, I very clearly and forcibly drew 
attention to what I considered the defects in English play, 
and said plainly that I considered Australian lawn tennis quite 
equal, if not indeed superior, to English. I clearly stated that in 
my opinion Australia could produce players to beat the present 
holders of the doubles championship of the world, and that in 
singles they were fully equal. This, of course, was considered to 
be mere vapouring by those whose experience of the game was 
limited. 

Since then the Australian pair, A. W. Dunlop and N. E. 
Brookes, have in a genuine hard-fought match which ran into five 
sets defeated Messrs. R. F. and H. L. Doherty, and Mr. N. E. 
Brookes has defeated Mr. H. L. Doherty. 

I also in that book, unwarrantably some thought, dealt plainly 
with what I considered the defects in Mr. H. L. Doherty's game, 
and showed how he would be defeated by a man who "got 
down " to his weak points. Since then Mr. M. J. G. Ritchie, who 
by the way I said might, if possessed of greater equanimity, 



Spalding's Athletic Library. 133 

easily be classed " Ai at Lloyd's," nearly defeated the champion 
in a desperate five-set match, and subsequently in another hard 
five-set match, wherein I saw some of the most brilliant lawn 
tennis I have ever seen, he did fairly and squarely defeat him. 

I am mentioning these matters here as many who read this 
book will not have seen my other works on the game, and it will 
save many such the pain of thinking that I am merely. a ruthless 
iconoclast whose mission it is to smash up national idols. My 
mission in this little matter is to spread a knowledge of the 
strokes and science of lawn tennis, and it is of importance that 
those whom I now address should know that one year after I had 
dealt with these matters and enunciated the, at that time, revolu- 
tionary doctrine of the value of rotation of the ball, practically 
everything that I had foretold was demonstrated in a remarkable 
and conclusive manner. 

It was not remarkable that it should be demonstrated. That 
I knew to be inevitable, for I was only expounding the game as it 
had come to me from its home, England, and as I had played it 
and loved it for a score of years ; as it was played and improved 
in America, Australia, and New Zealand, while here in its home it 
has gone back, its standard has deteriorated, its strokes become 
feeble by comparison with the natural strong shots of old. The 
very remarkable, and for lawn tennis in England beneficial, thing 
was that my doctrine should have been proved sound so quickly 
and so conclusively, for this happened at the very next meeting. 

Then it was seen that not a single visiting player of any 
importance used the English hold which I have always so severely 
condemned. There also was demonstrated the fact I have always 
insisted on, that the most important strokes in modern lawn tennis 
are played with cut, as for instance that king of ground strokes 



134 Spalding's Athletic Library. 

the forehand lifting drive, the American services, the reverse 
overhead service, and the useful chop so freely — perhaps too 
freely — used by the American players. 

There also was conclusively demonstrated the fallacy of the 
striker-out's partner standing in at the net in doubles, which I 
have always called the greatest blot in English doubles, and many 
minor points which yet have an important bearing on the game. 

Now you may call this a paean of self-glorification, or an 
exaggerated " I told you so," or anything you like. That won't 
trouble me. The line of demarcation between true modesty and 
colossal egotism is so very ill-defined that sometimes it is hard to 
tell where one's feet are, but for your information I may say that 
about one and three-quarters of my pedal extremities are on the 
sick- of modesty this time, for the personal element to me is 
nothing so long as I emphasise the facts in such a manner as to 
make you remember them, take notice of what I am saying now, 
and — this is for English readers — alter your game while yet there 
is time ; also you must remember that for a year I bore with 
equanimity — nay, indeed with urbanity — many futile jokes on the 
subject of the rotation of the ball, for I knew full well where the 
joke would be when it was all over ; and now jokes about the 
rotation of the ball are as extinct as the dodo, and in their place 
is with some a genuine thirst for knowledge, with others despair 
because they cannot, or think they cannot, alter their hold of 
the racket. 

The outstanding feature of the 1905 tournament was the 
success of Mr. N. E. Brookes, the Australian player. His progress 
through the week was a wonderful object-lesson to English 
players on the futility of the English game when opposed to a 
first-class man with modern methods. Such men as Escombe, 



Spalding's Athletic Library. 

Caridia, Riseley, Gore, and Hillyard went down to him without 
really extending the Australian. Then in the final of the All- 
comers' Plate he had to meet that sterling player S. H. Smith. 

Brookes' great service had no terrors for Smith, although he 
was bothered with it now and again ; neither, for the matter of 
that, had Holcombe Ward's. Many were surprised how well Smith 
negotiated the deliveries of these, two players, which proved so 
puzzling to other first-class men. The explanation is very 
simple. He played them as he does everything else. He stood 
off them and allowed them to break to him. They got up high. 
He hit them as he does nearly everything else, very hard. His 
racket was not very -tightly strung. Quite naturally he was doing 
everything right, and it nearly came off in both matches. In 
Great Lawn-tennis Players I have fully er\»lained this method of 
returning the American service. So far as I can remember the 
score was 2 sets all 4-2 in Smith's favour when Brookes made a 
great effort and pulled the match out of the fire. Since then 
he has amply demonstrated his superiority over this famous 
player. 

Smith then was the only English player to extend Brookes, and 
the Australian had every one except Smith in trouble all the 
time, yet Brookes did not win a single match against an 
American. As a matter of fact he should have beaten Beals 
Wright, who is now the American champion, twice, and but for 
his weak overhead work would have done so, but he didn't. 

The fact is that the Australian, New Zealand, and American 
game consists of practically the same strokes, or at least the strokes 
are produced on the same principles, so that in playing the 
Australian the Americans were not at such a disadvantage as the 
Englishmen were. Another important point which militated 



136 Spalding's Athletic Library. 

against most of the English players was the fact that although 
Brookes' service has more spin on it than almost any American 
the English player almost invariably attempted to play it too 
softly. The spin thus had a chance to work on the very 
tightly strung English rackets, and the accuracy of the return 
was sufficiently affected for the dashing Australian player to 
reach it and score. Being a left-handed player made his service 
particularly awkward, for his ordinary American service is of 
course a right-handed player's reverse. His forehand cut service, 
for a similar reason, is equal to a very fine reverse overhead 
cut service. 

I have seen Mr. Brookes play Mr. H. L. Doherty three times. 
The first occasion was in practice, and the Australian did as he 
liked. He had the Er^lish champion running all the time, and 
won almost as he liked (6-2, 6-3, 5-7, if I remember rightly). 
The second time was for the championship, when Mr. Doherty 
was simply " thrashing the dead horse," as Escombe, Caridia, 
Gore, Riseley, Hillyard, and Smith had already won the champion- 
ship of England for him. I must speak plainly about this, as I 
have done before, and I cannot understand how people calling 
themselves sportsmen can tolerate such a custom and put their 
visitors and brother sportsmen at such a serious disadvantage. 
It is a cruel, inhospitable condition, a slur on the name of English 
fair play, and must in common decency be abolished, so that the 
champion has to play right through the draw. Who, may I ask, 
was entitled to stand out of the draw when the first championship 
was played ? Mr. Doherty won this match — if I may so insult a 
word — in three straight sets. He really played the greatest game 
I ever saw him put up. It was almost perfect. He was in to the 
net — not the service line— most of the time, and his anticipation 



Spalding's Athletic Library. 137 

was splendid ; but poor Brookes had ricked his side as the 
result of his week's gruelling singles and a strain in the champion 
doubles a day or two before, so he was robbed of more than 
half his game — his service. 

He met Mr. Doherty later at Wimbledon in the Anglo- 
Australasian match, and defeated him easily in straight sets. 
In referring to this game, an English writer, in trying to excuse 
this defeat, called it a kind of garden-party tennis, and sought to 
show it was not a serious match. Nothing could be in worse 
form. Either the match was a serious match or some one was 
spoofing his guests, and at the other end of the world we have an 
ugly little word of three letters, which may all be found in the 
first four letters of the alphabet, which we use to describe such a 
person. It will not, however, be required here, for every one 
who knows the inner history of these matters is well aware that 
nothing was given away in these matches. 

So as between Messrs. Brookes and Doherty the matter now 
rests, and if they both meet again at any time under fair conditions, 
if Brookes is on his game, I cannot see how he is going to lose. 

I do not take much notice of collateral form at lawn tennis, 
but there were two matches that impressed me very much. 
S. H. Smith met Holcombe Ward in the championship and 
simply " blew him off the court " in straight sets. Smith's 
driving was simply wonderful. He hit everything, service and 
return, and drove with remarkable accuracy. I have sometimes 
seen the same thing done for a few games or a set, but to keep it 
going as Smith did for three sets was a very remarkable perform- 
ance. His placing was superb. He hit the side lines repeatedly, 
and some of his cross-cour* drives off the service and out of his 
backhand court were little short of miracles, In the inter- 



138 Spalding's Athletic Library. 

nationals Ward met H. L. Doherty, and in the first two sets was 
a winner from the start, but then he had shot his bolt, and Doherty 
made a wonderful recovery, winning the last three sets with the 
loss of but two or three games. It was a great performance. 
Ward was completely done after the first two sets, and it was an 
astonishing thing to see the English champion, apparently much 
the weaker man, winning on condition. 

Looking at these two matches by the uncertain light of 
collateral form, I am inclined to think that on the game S. H. 
Smith showed he would have defeated the champion, who him- 
self admits that he cannot go in and volley him as Brookes does. 

For the purposes of the Dwight Davis international cup 
Australasia is a nation. Taking the best form of the three 
nations, Australasia, England, and America, 1 consider that it 
is' practically equal. In England there are a great number 
of good solid players ; but I think that twenty-five Americans 
would trouble a similar number of English players very badly. 
I should expect ten or twelve Australasians after a few months' 
tournament play here to hold their own quite comfortably. 

The first-class player in New Zealand is much nearer to first 
class in England than is generally known here — or there. All he 
wants is a few months of tournament play. Without any shadow 
of hesitation I can say that the finest smash and backhand drive 
I know are played by a New Zealand player, who himself has no 
idea how good these strokes are when judged by the highest 
standard in the world. 

Both in singles and doubles these three nations are very close 
together, and I am hoping to see the practice of the holders 
standing out abolished in this contest also. Then we shajl have 
some very interesting contests. 



Spalding's Athletic Library. 139 

The captain of the last American team came to me a day or two 
before the internatiomds, and asked me what I thought should 
be their team. I said without hesitation, " Ward and Wright, 
singles and doubles. You can't very well do anything else." 
Neither should they have done anything else on form. Wright's 
performance against Brookes stamped him as being in great 
form, and since then he has amply demonstrated that the great 
opinion I had of his play was not unwarranted. He is as strong 
as a horse, as keen as a razor, as active as a kitten, a trier for 
every ball, and all the time he is racing about the court he is 
" cerebrating." He does nothing without thinking. His strokes 
are very accurate. To my mind both he and Holcombe Ward 
use the chop stroke too much ; but whereas Ward uses it more 
for dropping balls short, Wright to a great extent makes it his 
staple shot. How well he does it only those who have seen him 
play know ; but I must say that I think that the forehand drive 
with lift is neglected too much by these famous players. Neither 
of them, for instance, have as good a forehand drive as Miss 
Sutton. Ward does use the stroke occasionally, but it is rather 
a laboured and obvious shot. He gave me the distinct impression, 
although he said he felt perfectly well, of not being up to " concert 
pitch." He has a fine American service, which stood him in good 
stead. His volleying, especially his cross-court cut volleys, were 
sometimes quite wonderful. On the whole I was disappointed 
with the American team's play. Ward, Wright, Larned, and 
Clothier reads well on paper, but it always seemed to me that 
they were struggling to reproduce much better form than they 
showed. A visiting team is always at a disadvantage, and they 
on this occasion were, I think, not doing themselves justice. Their 
form, particularly in the singles, would seem to support my view. 



140 Spalding's Athletic Library. 

\n the ladies' game the advantage, in my opinion, is distinctly 
with the English ladies, although wc do not hold the inter- 
national championship. No impartial person could possibly say 
that Miss Douglass was in anything like her championship form. 
Her accident had unquestionably interfered with her play. It 
would suit me quite well to say that Miss Sutton's play is superior 
to Miss Douglass's if I could conscientiously do so, for she uses 
the finest stroke in the game, the stroke I am always advocating, 
and on the day was without doubt the better player ; but the 
ladies of England can do much better than they did last time, 
and will, or I am mistaken. 

Miss Thomson was going quite well against Miss Sutton while 
she played her short drop shots, which to a great extent spoiled 
Miss Sutton's drive ; but after she abandoned these the game 
turned at once in favour of the American player. If Miss Sutton 
defends her title this year there should be much interest in the 
event. 

THE VALUE OF ROTATION. 

Very few lawn-tennis players in England realise the great im- 
portance of being able to make the flight and bound of the ball 
deceptive. The ability to do this in all strokes is of importance, 
but it is particularly in the service that its value will be most 
appreciated. The flight and bound of the ball can only be made 
deceptive by such strokes as impart spin to the ball. All plain 
ball strokes fly through the air and bound in a natural and easily 
anticipated manner, but it is not so with the cut or lifted ball. Its 
flight and bound are frequently most puzzling, especially for 
one who cannot tell the kind of ball to expect by the action of 
his opponent and the angle at which his racket crosses the ball 
in his service or other stroke. 



Spa/ding's Athletic Library. 141 

This is shown in a marked degree Dy the difficulty the best 
English players have in anticipating and dealing with the 
American service. Soon after Modern Lawn Tennis, in which I 
fully explained the American service, was published, a prominent 
member of the All England Lawn-tennis Club said to me in 
quite a benevolent manner, as one who rather pitied the aberra- 
tions of a well-intentioned youth, " Don't you think this American 
service business is quite exploded, Mr. Vaile ? " 

I explained to him without unduly lacerating his feelings that 
in England it could not be exploded, because it was not under- 
stood nor played, and consequently had never had a trial, nor 
could it ever have a trial until the present defective hold of the 
racket is abandoned. 

He smiled gently. I read his thoughts, and internally I beamed 
back upon him with interest. It is " the only way." It is quite 
useless to get annoyed. If you cannot see the humour of 
ignorance considering your mind a trifle unhinged you would get 
grey in a week in England. Many people get angry about these 
things. They rant and rave about the Englishman's insular self- 
satisfaction. These persons are not even embi yotic philosophers. 
The probability is that in their own eyes are large beams which 
they disregard while attending to the English motes. They 
must also remember that the Englishman has been here a long 
time, and they must recognise the fact that they cannot recon- 
struct his lawn tennis, let alone him, in a few weeks. These two 
tasks will take time, but it is noble work to do, a game worth 
playing, so in the meantime if one does think the Englishman's 
outlook is insulant — this is a more expressive word than insular- 
let him not fret himself at such insulance, for all things are as 
they were meant to be, and there arc in England to-day signs of 



142 Spa/ding's Athletic Library. 

« 

the awakening of a mighty nation to her needs, signs of a slow 
heaving of a vast power that will ere long burst the bonds of 
slavish adherence to obsolete and effete customs which are 
trammelling the expansion of a great empire. 

However, this is by the way, and getting perilously near to 
politics, so I must return to the value of the American service, 
which my venerable friend's remark had for the moment led 
me from. Within a few weeks after he saw Messrs. R. F. and 
H. L. Doherty defeated at Queen's Club by the Australian pair, 
and he was fain to admit that the American service played a very 
conspicuous part in their downfall, although A. W. Dunlop's fine 
volleying was equally valuable. Messrs. Doherty are perhaps the 
two safest players in the world so far as regards the return of the 
service. 

They so rarely endeavour to win off it, but are satisfied to get 
it back and get into position for the next shot, that they make 
very few mistakes, yet in this match it was no uncommon thing 
for them to utterly fail to get the service on their rackets. At 
Queen's Club in the covered-courts meeting in October, 1904, 1 
saw H. L. Doherty repeatedly tied into knots with Anthony 
Wilding's reverse American service, and I dealt fully with that 
and other matters, which at that time were not so well recognised 
as established tactics as they are now, in the issue of The Field of 
October 15, 1904. 

The point I wish to make is that if Mr. Brookes can so clearly 
nonplus and score off two such reliable veterans as Messrs. 
Doherty as he undoubtedly did, and if. the young New Zealander 
with his reverse American service could so puzzle the champion 
of the world, surely it is futile nonsense to attempt to belittle a 
most valuable method of attack because a faulty grip of the 



Spalding's Athktic Library. 143 

mckct makes it impossible for English players to cultivate it. To 
change one's grip is obviously the only thing for one who desires 
to use modern strokes and to become first class. 

There is a service that I did not illustrate. It is simply a 
lifting service. It is played in the same manner as the ordinary 
American service, with the exception that the cut is pure straight 
lift which gives vertical forwardly rotating motion to the ball 
similar to that which is imparted by the forehand drive, instead 
of the cut being slightly across the ball. The lifting service will 
not, of course, break either way, but it gets up rather suddenly 
and has a long bound. It is a good service, and presents no 
difficulty to any one who can cut a ball. It enables one to hit the 
ball very hard, and on account of the spin to obtain a fine length. 
Curiously enough, some English players put this lift on ; if they 
would only cut across the bail more at an angle instead of hitting 
straight upwards they would have the American service at once 
with but slight alteration of grip for the ordinary one. Similarly 
any one who uses forehand cut can easily get the American 
service by altering the angle of his cut in an upward direction. 

I have not dealt with the underhand-cut service. This forehand 
service is delivered by allowing the ball to drop until it is quite 
near the ground and then bringing the racket with a good 
swing from at least the height of your shoulder sharply across 
the ball from right to left. This imparts a lot of spin to the ball 
which skims the net and breaks from right to left of the receiver. 
A well-placed ball of this kind, which pitches near the side line 
in the backhand court and breaks out of court, keeping low all the 
time, is very hard to deal with effectively. 

Every budding champion must not only set himself to learn 
the American services and the forehand and reverse cut services, 



T 44 Spalding's Athletic Library. 

but he must have a command of the forehand drive with lift and 
the chop stroke. It was a popular fallacy in England for years — 
I hope that is exploded now — that cut detracts from accuracy in 
play, whereas exactly the opposite is the case, but cut must not be 
exaggerated for all ordinary work. Beals Wright, the American 
champion, and Norman E. Brookes, the Australian, rarely, if ever, 
hit a ball with a plain-face racket. H. L. Doherty undercuts 
nearly all his backhand shots, both volleys and ground strokes. 

DEFECTIVE HOLD OF THE RACKET. 

I have already dealt fairly fully with this matter, but it is of 
such great importance to the future of the game that I must 
refer to it a little more fully. At present there arc two schools 
of lawn tennis in the world, the English and the other. The 
other includes the whole of the rest of the tennis-playing world, 
except where here and there one finds a few players who have 
followed English methods. When England stands by herself 
against the opinion and practice of the world, as in what she 
vainly believes is free trade, she is always wrong. So she is 
in this case. 

Few players who use the English grip have any idea of 
the enormous amount of force they waste during a match. 
A curious fact, which I have never seen referred to, is that 
English ladies do not use the same grips as the men. The 
reason is not far to seek. They have not the strength to 
waste that the men have. The consequence is that they play 
natural strokes, and nearly always have the handles of their 
rackets in line with their forearms at the time of hitting the 
ball. The usual forehand with the ladies in England is the 
same stroke as the forehand-cut service described in the last 



Spalding's Athletic Library. 145 

chapter. They let the ball drop till it is near the ground, then 
cut across it from right to left, and thus they get a very good 
drive, which is well played by many men, but has nothing 
to recommend it as a staple stroke in preference to the fore- 
hand lifting drive. 

The backhand is a natural stroke, and is frequently cut heavily. 
Some lady players are very reliable on the backhand ; some 
indeed are very good, and I do not know a man who has a 
better backhand than Miss Ethel Thomson, but she could not 
play it as the men do their stroke. These facts should make 
those who are playing the unnatural strokes reflect, and the 
ladies having in many cases already the proper natural grips 
should make a great effort to cultivate the forehand drive with 
lift, which really is not hard to get. 

It is now many years since England has produced even a 
promising young player. Anthony Wilding, the New Zealand 
player, is the most prominent example. It has been said that he 
learnt his lawn tennis in England, and many people think that 
he would now have the championship of New Zealand at his 
mercy. The statement and the supposition are both wrong. 
He learnt his lawn tennis in New Zealand, and has merely 
developed his strokes in England, and he would not be a 
certainty for the New Zealand championship, although I have 
no doubt that now he would give it a great shake ; but there 
are plenty in New Zealand who can do as well as, if not better 
than, Wilding, an they have his opportunities. I say this 
without in the slightest degree disparaging Wilding's ability, 
but in common justice to the standard of New Zealand play, 
even as I did of Australian play two years ago. 

The dearth of young players in England has to be accounted 



146 Spa/ding 1 s Athletic Library. 

for. In my opinion it is simple to do it. The hold of the 
racket favoured by Messrs. Dohcrty is without <;he least shadow 
of doubt unnatural and from a mechanical standpoint defective. 
The lead of success has been blindly followed by many, if not 
most, of the rising players. They will never raise a great game 
on this foundation. One man's hold is another man's undoing. 
A hold which suits a man who lives at the game may not suit 
another who cannot spare the same or even a respectable 
fraction of the time for play that his more favoured fellow- 
player can devote to it. If one blindly follows a person who 
is doing a thing in a defective manner, it is probable that the 
pioneer of the defective method will have the advantage. These 
points must all be considered in dealing with this matter. 

It must also be remembered in support of my contention 
that the hold of Messrs. Doherty is quite unsuited to the great 
majority of players, that of the first-class players of the world 
they probably stand by themselves as exponents of that hold. 
It has been clearly demonstrated, both in singles and doubles, 
that there is no remarkable gap between them and the best 
of other nations. The question for the rising generation to 
settle is, then, " Are we going to play unnatural strokes and waste 
our strength in the air, or shall we put all our force on to the 
ball ?" I wish schoolmasters in my youthful days had known the 
English forehand stroke. Unfortunately the dull fellows knew 
only too well that the cane and the forearm must be in the 
same " plane of force " to be effective, and to my sorrow they 
generally put in good work on the forehand or whatever else 
it was. 

Of the leading players of the world I may take the following 
as illustrations. All our greatest forehand drivers, S. H. Smith, 



Spa/ding's Athletic Library. *47 

G. W. Hillyard, A. W. Gore, and others, observe the cardinal 
rule, arm in line with racket handle for all drives, quite naturally. 
Smith is inclined at times to get off the line a little, but seven or 
eight instantaneous photographs of him in Great' Lawn-tennis 
Players show clearly that he carries out the great principle in 
practice. M. J. G. Ritchie, a strong, natural player, carries it 
out on both hands ; so does Wilding. G. A. Caridia is natural 
on his backhand, where he gets all his best shots, but not quite 
so on his forehand, where he is much less effective. 

Norman E. Brookes is a remarkable instance of the rule. 
His short stabbing volleys especially are always got this way, 
and his service, if he disregarded the rule, would be rendered 
useless at once. No Australasian players of any note consider 
the hold worthy of trial. Holcombe Ward, Beals C. Wright, 
W. A. Larned, and Clothier, the last American international team, 
all use the holds, and religiously observe the rule laid down 
by me, which indeed is so simple and obvious that it would 
seem to me an act of supererogation to. lay it down at all 
were its continued violation not "rotting" English lawn tennis. 

I cannot say any more plainly what I think of the influence 
of this very faulty hold. If I could I would, for it has robbed 
English lawn tennis of half the strokes and much of the beauty 
of the game, and has given us no adequate advantage to make up 
for the loss, unless we consider it an advantage to reduce a great 
and scientific game to pat-ball, and that is the only natural 
result for most players of retaining the present hold. 

The holds in themselves are bad, but when some players go 
further and suggest playing lawn tennis with one hold of the 
racket all the time, then the height of absurdity is reached, and 
with any who know the game argument is rendered unnecessary. 



148 Spalding's Athletic Library. 

No man, unless his wrist is a universal joint, can ever play 
the game of lawn tennis with an unchanged grip. He may play 
a part of it. That is all he can hope for. That is all the young 
players of England are doing. That is why for year after year 
the same names remain at the head of the match results, and 
why young players are disgusted and disheartened with their 
lack of improvement in the game and with their small success 
in tournaments. 

It should be remembered that at last All England champion- 
ship tournament no player using this hold, and who had to 
play through the draw, acquitted himself even tolerably well. 
I give it not more than three years to live. Then it and 
big-handled, double-strung, glassy faced rackets, will all be 
things of the past, and we shall be back again to the 
game as we were originally taught it, with, of course, the 
few improvements that have been added ; we shall have natural 
handles that do not stiffen the wrist, single strung rackets of 
not unnatural tension, and we shall be playing the game as it 
is played everywhere in the world except in England, whence 
we got it. 

THE POSITION OF THE STRIKER-OUTS PARTNER. 

I have already referred to the position of the striker-out's 
partner, but the matter is of such importance to the double game 
that I shall illustrate it by diagram. I have taken the initials of 
the players who contested the match at Queen's Club, when the 
Australian pair beat the English champions, to illustrate my 
point, and I have used their initials as that carries it home more 
forcibly than calling them A and B. 



NEB 

+ 



+ 
RFD. 



A.W.D. 

+ 



I 
A 



+ 
H.L.D 



T 5o Spalding's Athletic Library. 

Here we have, let us say, N. E. Brookes, serving to H. L. 
Doherty. We see R. F. Doherty in his usual position. If any one 
doubts the accuracy of this let him look at plate clxxxviii. 
el seq., Great Lawn-tennis Players. We see A. W. Dunlop 
standing right up to the net, and well in, for he knows that, off 
Brookes' service, especially if it is centred, H. L. Doherty cannot 
possibly rely on an accurate side-line passing shot. Now, if 
H. L. Doherty can rely on playing a perfect return, so as to pass 
Dunlop, and can then follow it in and range alongside his brother, 
this position may be justified, but, as a matter of fact, he cannot. 
What is the result ? I shall let my comments on the match in a 
London daily, published next morning, speak as to this : — 

" Few who read the innocent announcement of this match had 
any idea of the treat that was in store for 'them. Very few 
thought that the Dohertys, fresh from their victory at Wimbledon, 
were in any danger of having the lustre of their achievement 
dimmed by the result of the meeting. Personally I looked 
forward to the match with great interest, for I know what a 
dangerous combination the Australians are. A year ago I wrote, 
' Give me a good team of Australasians, such as I could pick, and 
let me acclimatise them here for a few months, with plenty of 
tournament play, and there are more unlikely things than that the 
Messrs. Doherty would have to go to the land of the Golden 
Fleece tennis ash-hunting.' Of course, the idea was scouted, but 
Saturday's game conclusively proved the accuracy of my estimate 
of English and Australian form. 

" The Dohertys' tactics were not good, and in my opinion they 
lost the match on the defective position of the striker-out's 
partner. They always have the striker-out's partner near the net. 
This position is only justifiable on the assumption that the striker- 



Spalding's Athletic Library. 151 

out will make a practically perfect return, which he nearly always 
doesn't, particularly when he is dealing with the N. E. Brookes' 
service. Brookes was serving well, and won nearly all his service 
games with ridiculous ease, thus clearly demonstrating the 
immense value of the American service. Owing to R. F. Doherty 
standing in when his brother was receiving, the Australians 
pelted his feet mercilessly, and also drove at him. On account of 
his peculiar hold he cannot effectively take a ball very close to 
his forehand side. His return from this position is generally very 
soft, and this point was largely used against him. 

" Dunlop volleyed very well, both below the net and overhead, 
and generally played a fine game." 

Speaking of the mistakes made through the faulty position of 
the striker-out's partner, and which, by the way, were not entirely 
on the one side, I said : " I am nearly tired of referring to this, as 
it is such an obviously stupid position. The Americans will 
have none of it, and I do not think any pair using it throughout 
the match will win the international doubles." 

Luckily for Messrs. Doherty they did not repeat their error, and 
they just got through in another desperate five-set match. 

The match at Queen's Club, between the Australians and 
Messrs. Doherty, was very interesting, so I shall give a short 
description of the play, which I wrote at the time for the journal 
wherein the above remarks appeared. 

" The Australians won the first set ia good style, 6-3. The 
Dohertys responded by taking the next two sets, 5-7, 2-6. A 
gentleman sitting by me said they were obviously the better pair. 
' Taihoa,' I said to him. 'What's that?' he asked. 'The Maori 
for " Wait a bit," ' I replied. The Australians won the next set 
amidst much excitement, at 6-4, and stood two sets all. They 



152 Spalding's Athletic Library. 

got 2-love in the deciding set. The Dohertys equalised. The 
Australians then ran to 5-2, a commanding lead. The 
champions, who felt the match slipping away from them, now 
made a great effort. They won Dunlop's service, 5-3 was 
called. 

"Then my unknown friend spoke again : 'It's all right now. 
H. L. will win his service, and it will be all right,' he said. 
'Don't worry,' I replied, 'that only* carries it to 5-4, with 
Brookes' service, and that will end it,' and so it did, for Brookes 
continuing to serve well, and Dunlop ably seconding his efforts, 
the Australians ran out the winners by three sets to two, and thus 
set the seal on the fame of Australian doubles play. It was 
unquestionably a very fine performance. The scores were 6-3, 
5-7, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4." 

Looking at Fig. 4 again, you will see that if Dunlop gets on to 
anything that H. L. Doherty miscalculates it is practically a 
certain score for him if he hits it at R. F. Doherty's feet or puts 
it away in the cross-court gap between the brothers, for H. L. 
Doherty cannot get up quickly enough to cover this. It must be 
remembered that he is used to slow lifting volleys, from near the 
service line. It is another thing if a man stands up " on " the net 
and hits everything downwards. This is what the Australians 
did, and I never saw R. F. Doherty so hopelessly at sea. 

I want to make it absolutely certain that this position must be 
considered wrong, so I shall give the several instances wherein 
the famous brothers have, to my knowledge, abandoned it to save 
defeat or used it and suffered defeat. It is a liberty that they 
have taken with the game, and it has come to be looked upon 
as good tactics, whereas in the modern game it is practically 
untenable. The proper position for R. F. Doherty while H. L. 



Spalding's Athletic Library. 153 

Doherty is receiving is at A, Fig. 4, and this, subsequent to their 
defeat and my condemnation of their formation, is the position 
the brothers adopted against the Americans. Now for my 
instances. 

1. In 1902 S. H. Smith and F. L. Riseley beat the champions. 
I was not then in England, but I have it at first-hand that it was 
on this position that the brothers went down. 

2. At Queen's Club covered-court meeting in October, when 
Wilding and the late H. S. Mahony looked like beating theim 
Messrs. Doherty gave up the position and stood back together on 
the base line when one of them was receiving. 

3. In the final for the Metropolitan doubles in the same year 
R. F. Doherty and W. V. Eaves, looked very like losing to 
Greville and Mann. R. F. Doherty, whenever he was receiving, 
made Eaves stand back, and did so himself when Eaves was 
receiving, and thus he saved the match. 

4. R. F. and H. L. Doherty played this formation against the 
Australians, Dunlop and Brookes, and lost the match through it. 

5. Against Holcombe Ward and Beals Wright they adopted 
the right position from the start. Several times H. L. Doherty 
tried the old formation, paid for it directly, wisely gave it up, 
and they just won in five hard sets. 

It will thus be seen that they have used the formation on each 
occasion that they have lost. In one case I am informed, in the 
other I am certain, that it cost them the match. I have seen 
them repeatedly when pressed abandon it. 

In an important match like the final of the international cup 
they started in the right position, experimented on their old 
formation, speedily returned to the proper one, and only just 
won. 



154 Spalding's Athletic Library. 

1 think this should be enough to convince any one who has now 
any doubt that the right place for the striker-out's partner is in a 
line with the receiver. When they can they go up together, still 
relatively the same distance apart. When they can't they must 
wait until they can make the opening. 

This may now be regarded as absolutely settled tactics, and 
I am glad it is so, for from the first article I wrote on English 
lawn tennis up to the present time I have never ceased to point 
to this formation as the greatest blot on English doubles. 

With a pair like R. F. and H. L. Doherty playing an inferior 
combination if they can win on it, there is no objection to their 
taking the liberty, but when less skilful players follow the fault)' 
lead, and do much to spoil the double game, these tactics, in the 
interests of the game, must be plainly dealt with. 

HOW TO MAKE AND KEEP A COURT. 

I have laid out a good many grass courts in my time, and my 
advice to any one who wants to do the same thing is to get some 
person who makes it his business to do it for him if he can afford 
it. If he cannot, or if he wants the work and " fun," I must try 
to help him. I have already given general directions as to the 
size of the court, its aspect and so on, so I shall address myself 
here merely to the question of construction. 

These are general instructions, and must, of course, in many 
cases, be subject to local conditions. In laying out a court the 
first thing is to select your site. See that it is protected from the 
prevailing winds, if you can conveniently arrange it so by taking 
advantage of any natural shelter, but on no account have any 
trees, particularly deciduous trees, near it. 

Having selected your site, you must lay down your side line as 



Spalding's Athletic Library. 155 

directed and measure out your court. Now comes the important 
matter of settling your levels, and I don't mind telling you that 
I always got a surveyor to do it for me. It saves a lot of trouble 
and prevents you having a court like the centre court at Wimble- 
don, with a drop of six inches from one side to the other. 

If you cannot get a surveyor you can manage it for yourself by 
driving in a stake or two with a straight-edge nailed on at a right 
angle, putting a spirit-level on that, and repeating the operation 
with the other stakes. You will have to level from stake to stake 
by another straight-edge and then along the tops of the attach- 
ments, still using the straight-edge and level, which I am afraid 
you will find rather tedious. 

Having got your levels, the next thing will be to reduce the 
ground. If you are adding the soil to make the lawn, you will 
simply have to straighten out the ground roughly and spread 
3'our soil on top. You must be careful to get good soil free 
from weeds. 

If you are using the soil already there, you must, if your 
excavation would take you into poor soil, lay back the good soil 
on each side, level up the subsoil and spread the good soil again. 
You must then see that it is thoroughly pulverised and raked, 
and every sign of a weed must be taken out. When you have 
gone thoroughly over it, and raked it until there isn't a nut or a 
weed in it, you may sow it. Here I must leave you to the tender 
mercies of your seedsman with the warning to avoid clover as 
you would sin, and to use nothing but fine lawn grasses suitable 
for your district and climate. 

In sowing you must be careful to spread the seed well with a 
free circular sweep of the hand, which releases the seed equally 
at all portions of its passage ; in fact, unless you know how to do 



156 Spalding's Athletic Library. 

it, again you had better get some one who does. Whatever you 
do, be generous with the seed. Put 50 per cent, more on than 
the seedsman tells you to rather than 10 per cent. less. You 
should sow when the ground is dry, then roll well with an 
ordinary roller. You can run a brush or bough over the lawn 
so as to sweep all seeds into the soil, or rake lightly again. 
Then roll once more, and Nature will do the rest. 

This is really a very general direction, but it is hard to be more 
specific, as the conditions in each case vary so much ; but what- 
ever you do take no notice of the local quidnunc who advises you 
to have clover because it is always so nice and green, like the 
balls will be and he is, or some other kind of grass because it is 
so soft, as he apparently thinks you are. 

You may, of course, want to turf your lawn. Good turf is in 
many places quite impossible to get. We will assume, however, 
that you can get it and that you have levelled out your lawn and 
the surrounding ground. You must be careful to see that it is 
well drained. In some cases it will be right without anything 
further. In others you will have to tile-drain it. Here again I 
am afraid you will want the tradesman, as so few amateurs can 
do this properly. 

. You should have at least ten inches of good soil above the sub- 
fsoil before you think of putting down your turf, and it stands to 
reason that this must be perfectly and equally consolidated all 
over, otherwise you will have trouble with your turf. See that 
all your turf is of an even thickness. After your turf is laid it 
has to be well trodden or rammed and then lightly rolled. You 
must now leave it alone for a while to settle, and then in a few 
weeks, when it has "gripped" the soil, you may put a heavier 
roller on to it. During the first two or three weeks, if there 



Spalding's Athletic Library. 157 

is not much rain, you should have the sprayer going on the 
lawn. 

Always keep the grass closely mown. If you allow it to grow 
long it becomes rank and thick at the roots, and this spoils a 
lawn. You can hardly cut a tennis lawn too close. I can 
remember nearly getting into trouble with a very worthy secre- 
tary of my club, who thought half an inch of grass made it 
"nice and soft for the feet," by making him an offer for the 
"grazing" on the lawns. He could not understand that you 
cannot cut a lawn too close unless you scrape the earth up. 

Shortly after the end of your season it is well to give the base 
lines some attention. Possibly they will want top-dressing and 
re-sowing, or they will perhaps, in the case of the turfed lawn, 
want re-turfing. In the case of a lawn where the seed has been 
grown on it, especially in its first year, it is a good plan to give 
it a top-dressing of an inch or so of good soil similar to that 
which was used in putting it down and to treat this with a liberal 
application of some of the superphosphate or bone manures so 
liberally advertised nowadays. 

Water your court in the cool of the evening, never in the heat 
of the day. Keep the roller and the mower going. These are 
the three chief factors in obtaining and keeping a good surface 
after you have once got over the initial difficulties. Carefully 
remove all weeds as soon as they make their appearance. 

Hard Courts. — There are so many different kinds of hard 
courts that I cannot attempt to fully describe each one. I shall 
therefore give general directions which are really applicable to 
nearly all hard courts except such as asphalt, cement, or concrete. 

For nearly all hard courts the following directions will be 
found to answer : Excavate the soil over the area which you 



158 Spalding's Athletic Library. 

intend to put down for a depth of eight inches. Level the 
surface. Lay down about five or six inches of large gravel, 
broken brick, or any other stone or cinder which you care to 
use as a foundation. Every stone in this should be of such a 
size that it will pass through a two-inch ring. Have this 
thoroughly raked and levelled. Then roll it with a heavy roller 
— the heavier the better. Two and a half tons is not too heavy 
if your subsoil will stand it. Roll it thoroughly, and do not water 
it. This will put it down nearly an inch. 

Now put down an inch and a half to two inches of gravel, 
cinder, burnt clay, or whatever you are using, that is about half 
the size of the foundation-stone. Have this spread by a shovelful 
at a time and sown with a good semicircular sweep of the shovel, 
so as to distribute it evenly. Sweep it well into the interstices 
between the foundation-stones. Do this thoroughly. Then have 
it raked and smoothed and dry-roll it heavily and well. 

Now you have a very solid bed, and you must start to put on 
your top. Let this consist of very small gravel, cinder, or stone 
chips. They must be small enough to readily sweep in between 
the interstices in the last layer and present a smooth 
surface. "Sow" this as before. Sweep it well in as it is put 
down. Give it a good dressing, and now put your water on. 
Don't flood it, but give it a good drenching all over, so as to wash 
the chips down between the larger stones. Now for the first 
time you wet-roll it, and you can hardly give it too much. 

You ought now to have a good surface, but if you are not 
thoroughly satisfied with it you must, when it has dried and set, 
give it another dressing of smaller chips that are almost dust. 
Sweep these well in and water them copiously. Then roll again 
as heavily as you like. If you are making a sand court, your last 



Spalding's Athletic Library. 159 

layer would consist of, say, an inch and a half to two inches 
of sand, but it would then be well to have some lime or some 
similar substance to mix with it, otherwise it will probably not 
bind well unless it is fairly coarse. 

You must not make the mistake of putting down too much 
dust on the court. Your final dressing should be small chips in 
preference to dust, for if your last layer is too fine it merelv 
sinks between the larger stones or rubble and is in dry weather 
a cushion of dust and in wet a pad of mud, so that your court 
will not consolidate at all, and it will be as ghastly a failure -as a 
court as is the Thames Embankment as a road. 

In each layer you must see that you have your stones carefully 
graded. They should be as nearly as possible of uniform size. 
It is a good idea to have your court an inch or an inch and a half 
higher down the centre than at the sides. This allows the water 
to run off freely. 

Unless your site is naturally fairly well drained you should 
tile-drain it before you put down your foundations, or if you 
do not do that you can make your " floor " slope to some given 
point and put in a few pipes to carry off any soakage. 

These art necessarily very general directions, but the prin- 
ciples are sound and will be found to answer here if intelligently 
carried out, even as they do in road-making, for that is what they 
amount to. They are practically the scientific method of road- 
making which is so generally neglected throughout England, 
and particularly on the Thames Embankment. 

AFTERWORD. 

This is the third book on lawn tennis that I have written within 
the space of two years. Strangely enough in no case was the 



160 Spalding's Athletic Library. 

undertaking of my seeking, yet I venture to hope that this latest 
effort will fill a vacant place and reach people who would never 
see or read my larger and more expensive works on the game. 
I have always thought that some fairly complete treatise on the 
modern game should be obtainable for two shillings or half a 
crown, and it was my intention, when I had time, to endeavour to 
publish a cheap book of that description. I was therefore very 
pleased to have the opportunity offered me of doing much more 
than I originally intended, and of producing a book which I 
hope will be the means of popularising the game and correcting 
those existing errors which are retarding its growth. 

I have in this book not hesitated to point out plainly what I 
consider wrong in connection with the game. It is useless to 
mince matters in such circumstances, and the higher the position 
of those I deal with the less need do I see for cloaking my 
opinions in honeyed phrases. Genuine and intelligent criticism 
must make for the ultimate advancement of the game. I have 
never hesitated to give it, or to receive it. A keen critic must 
himself be patient under criticism. No doubt I shall require to 
exercise the virtue of patience. I have done it before, and shall, I 
hope, manage to do it again. I am now engaged in revising the 
proofs of the second edition of Modern Lawn Tennis, which has 
stood the test of two seasons and goes again to the printer 
without alteration in so far as regards the game. It is perhaps 
needless to say that I am gratified at the manner in which it has 
been received. Any one who has the welfare of the game at 
heart, as I have, must feel his responsibility in condemning so 
plainly and severely as I do the existing English methods, but I 
always at least remember that lawn tennis is a game. I have 
steadfastly refused to make a tragedy of it, and I have consc- 



Spalding's Athletic Library. 161 

quently, during my association with the game in England, been 
enabled to enjoy many a little comedy that has been enacted for 
ny special benefit or otherwise. 

No one is better aware than I that an instructor should not tell 
his pupils of their deficiencies too plainly, but in this place 
nothing can be gained by blinking the facts. I write the game as 
I played it — as I hope to play it again when I can spare time — 
to get the most enjoyment I can out of it, and to enable others to 
do the same. The next few years will show whether I am right 
in my prophecy that the English game will be entirely altered. 
I await the verdict with the utmost confidence — nay, with a con- 
viction amounting to certainty ; and I am sure that when this 
does come to pass lawn tennis will take a new lease of iife, for it 
will be a stronger, brighter, better thing in every way than that 
we have now. 

With this book I have, so far as I am able, brought lawn 
tennis and the lessons to be gained from our international 
meetings right up to the latest developments, and there I willingly 
leave it, for there is other and more serious work to be done ; but 
I shall never regret the time that I have devoted to what I 
consider the best interests of the game, for it is full of pleasant 
associations and memories, and not the least of these will be my 
privilege in being able to put this little work before a largely 
extended circle of readers to whom expensive books are not 
available. 

I have frequently been accused of having made a special study 
of games. If I were wise I should accept the statement and 
look and be as ponderous as I know how to. The plain fact is, 
however, that I have never specially studied games, for unless a 
man has much leisure and little intellect there is, I always think, 



162 Spalding's Athletic Library. 

better work for the exercise of his talents awaiting him. Where, 
however, I have managed to obtain some small advantage over 
other men is that I never hit a ball without a very definite object 
be it a billiard-ball, a cricket-ball, a golf-ball, a tennis-ball or 
indeed any other kind of ball. 

After I have hit it that ball hasn't gone very far before I am 
analysing the result of my effort and its probable effect on the 
run, flight, or break of that ball. I am in communion with the 
ball until it is again at rest. It talks to me, if you care to put it 
so, and tells me where I topped it too much or undercut it too 
heavily, that I sliced it or pulled it when I shouldn't have, or any 
one of a hundred different things. This is all a matter of 
observation, and comes quite naturally — especially after twenty 
years of it — to any one who really has his heart in his game and 
wishes to get all the pleasure there is to be got out of it, for a 
game is recreation for the mind and body, and senseless, unin- 
tellectual smiting of a ball cannot give to any one the pleasure 
that another with a full knowledge of the possibilities of the 
flying or rolling sphere can get from an intelligent treatment 
of it. 

I am almost afraid to speak of the mind in connection with a 
game, for there is a large class of players who begin to look 
upon you with distrust directly you hint that there is such a 
thing as brain-work in a game. You immediately run great risks 
of being taken for a "fleshless dietist" or "some kind of an 
unholy crank," as I heard one gentleman not altogether inaccu- 
rately describe himself a short time ago. 

It is a peculiar but nevertheless well-known fact that a man 
who takes to " studying " any one game to the exclusion of others 
does develop into a crank, and he is generally a most insufferable 



Spa/ding's Athletic Library. 163 

bore. That is what any one who takes up a game must carefully 
avoid. It is after all only the usual result if one's outlook in life 
is narrowed. If ever you are tempted to study a game, study 
two, and let one of them he the game of life, for this is the only 
one worthy of the serious study of a man ; but unless you have it 
in you to study lawn tennis or some other game and to see its 
beauties or its defects, the probability is that you will be lacking 
in that observation and true sympathy which is the secret to 
success in a study of the greatest game there is — the only one 
worth studying. 

Do not, however, let this discourage you. There is perhaps no 
more neglected faculty than that of observation. You have a 
wide field before you and the hope of an immeasurably enlarged 
horizon to cheer you on, and as you go you will soon find that 
using your eyes for the purpose they are intended for is no 
trouble, but becomes in time habit. So many have not yet 
acquired the habit. 

Thus it will come to pass that in the end you will realise that 
the ultimate object of life is not games, nor the ultimate object 
of games — pots. You will see that the true enjoyment of games 
is obtained from social intercourse and the stimulus, both to body 
and mind, which you derive from them. Then you are beginning 
to learn and to enjoy — and if you can win a few championships 
there is no objection ! 

P. A. VAILE. 



su™e THE SPALDING 



TRADEMARK "SKf 




HE SUCCESS we 
have met with in put- 
ting out this racket 
accompanied by the 
broadest guarantee 
ever given on an article of this 
kind is the best evidence as to 
the truth of our assertions re- 
garding the great care which 
we exercise in watching every 
detail of its manufacture. The 
racket is sold upon its own 
reputation and the Spalding 
Guarantee is your assurance 
of satisfaction. 

The difference between 
Styles A and B is in the additional strings reinforcing the 
central portion of the latter. Handles 5 and 5*4 inches in circum- 
ference. Stringing of clearest and absolutely best quality lambs' 
gut. Tag attached to each racket, giving particulars of special in- 
spection. Each racket enclosed in special quality mackintosh cover. 
We use a dogwood insertion in shoulders, after proving to our 
satisfaction, by experience, that it is far superior to cane or 
other material for the purpose. 



No.GM. 



STYLE B STRINGING. 



Each, $8.00 



Wlenn is Rackets /^jnf; 

for a period ol ?o /o5asH!ra*\ 

chase by the user. The \>lMy / 
lee Tag attached ^^?m^^ 
to each Spalding Lawn ^4-=^^ 
Tennis Racket reads as follows: If 
this Racket proves defects 

ship or material within 30 days 

from date of purchase, pie, 

transportation charges prepaid, to any 

Spalding Store, and the defect will be 

Imperfectly strung Rackets 

trung, and in the event of a 

me due to workmanship or 

1, the_Rac,ket will be 

Guarantee 

weighing 



will be 
broken 
defectii 
replaced. Nollce. 

not apply to Racke 



tfia 



We 


urge ill 


31 at the 


conciliate 


IToT 


play 


Ins K.i 


ket be r 


tbbed dry 


and 


whe 


t not in 


use be 




th a 


Wat 


"rproof 


Cover, 


placed i 




kacket Pres 
1 al 


, and the gut occa 


ion- 



l/EEP YOUR RACKET IN A 

M DRY PLACE, otherwise 

the Guarantee la Void. 



A.G.SPALDING &. BROS. 

STORES IN ALL LARGE CITIES 



FOR COMPLETE LIST OF STORES 

SEE INSIDE FRONT COVER 

OF THIS BOOH 



"Bias in §/«( Januan/ 5,1910^ Subject to thanfc without nodtj. f of Canadian BiteuH jgaioi Canadian Catalogue. 



i 



K^Wid^ 



Spalding perfect ovai 

Haekett and Alexander 
Model Racket No.OGM 




&?j) 



A D E in the 
SPALDING 
"Perfect Oval" 
Model with walnut 
throat piece and dogwood rein- 
forcement. We claim that this 
is a scientifically perfect lawn 
tennis racket, and the experi- 
ence of two of the most success- 
ful of last season's players who 
used this racket in their most 
important matches goes far to 
prove the truth of our assertion. 

Handles 5 anil 5% inches in circumference. 
Stringing of clearest and absolutely best qual- 
ity lambs' jrut. Each racket is enclosed in a 
special quality mackintosh cover. 



i\r> Tim Spalding "Perfect Oval" /i»o AA 

NO. ObM. S*JL K . E £Lt™ ALEXA £ D i, R &9.UU 



Model Racket. 



Each, 




n 


: urge 


bat at the c 


mcl 


ision of play 


in- 


Ka 


ckct b 


e rubbed dry, a 


id when no 




use 


be CO 


vered with 


a VV: 


terproof Co\ 


'T 


placed in 


a Racket 


Pre 


s. and the 


-;m 



KEEP YOIR RACKET IN A DRY PLACE, 

otherwise Ihe Guarantee is Void. 




GUARANTEE 

■ ■ 

We guarantee Lawn Ten- 
nis Rackets for a period 
of 30 days from date of 
purchase by the user. The 
Guarantee Tag attached to each 
Spalding Lawn Tennis Racket 
reads as follows: If this Racket proves defect- 
ive in workmanship or material within 30 
days from date of purchase, please return, 
transportation charges prepaid, to any Spald- 
ing Store, and the defect will be rectified. 
Imperfectly strung rackets will be restrung, 
and in the event of a broken frame due to 
workmanship or defective material, the 

Racket will be replaced. Notice This 

Guarantee does not apply to Rackets weigh- 
ing less than 13 ounces. 



PROMPT AFTENTiON GIVEN TO | 
ANT COMMUNICATIONS 

ADDRESSED TO US 



A.Q.SPALDING & BROS. 

STORES IN ALL LARGE CITIES 



FOR COMPLETE LIST OF SJORESl 

SEE INSIDE FRONT COVER I 
OF THIS BOOK 



'fiiiccJ m c//qf January 5, IVlU. Subject to change without notice, tot Canadian prices see special Canadian Ldtatpgu. 



THE SPALDING 



ITRADE-MARK g K T t E v ES 




Pat. Jan. 3, 1905 



the spalding tennis Rackets 

"THE good points in the following rackets can be vouched for by some of the most successful of last season'9 

players. In all of them quality of material and workmanship is superb and perfect balance assured. 

pach frame made of finest white ash. highly pol- 



shed; combed Spanish cedar handle, leather capped. 

Model CX. Gold Medal shape. Taped^houlders; 
strung with best lambs' gut. This racket is equal 
to the best of any other make. Each, S5.Q.O 

Model DH. Hand made throughout and strung 
with special quality lambs' gut. Modeled after 
style racket used exclusively by some of the 
greatest players in the world. Made with extra 
stringing in central portion of racket.. SB.OO 

No." 1 1 . The Tournament. Taped shoulders ; 
strung with good quality lambs' gut. A very 
popular model. Each, S4.00 

Noi 8. The Slocum. Oval shape, good quality 
frame, strung with special Oriental gut. A very 
superior racket at a moderate price. Extra string- 
ingin central portion of racket. Each. S3.50 




GUARANTEE 

(\PALD||Ol VVe guarantee Lawn Tennis Rackets for a period of 

V J >-- nt// 30 days from date of purchase by the user The Guar- 

5, antee Tag attached to each Spalding Lawn Tennis 
^SE^ Racket reads as follows : If this Racket proves de- 
fective in workmanship or material within 30 days from date of 
purchase, please return, transportation charges prepaid, to any 
Spalding Store, and the defect will be rectified Imperfectly 
strung Rackets will be restrung, and in the event of a broken 
frame due to workmanship or defective material, the Racket 
will be replaced 

NOTICE 

This Guarantee does not apply to Rackets weighing less than 
13 



We urge that at the conclusion ol play this Racket be 
rubbed dry, and when not in use be covered with a Water- 
proof Cover, placed in a Racket Press, and the gut occa- 
sionally varnished 

Keep Your Racket In a Dry Place. Otherwise 
The Guarantee Is Void. 



PROMPT ATTENTION GIVEN TO | 

ANY COMMUNICATIONS 

ADDRESSED TO US 



A. G.SPALDING &. BROS. 

STORES IN ALL LARGE CITIES 



FOR COMPLETE LIST OF STORES 

SEE INSIDE FRONT COVER 

OF THIS BOOK 



effect January 5. 1^10, Subject Iv change without notice. For Canadian prices see special Canadian Catalvgw 



l^iiwiMltttl 




^-,-^ 1prt >,. 




NO. A NO. 7 



The Spalding Tennis Rackets 




GUARANTEE 

We guarantee Lawn Tennis Rackets ( 
(or a period of 30 days from date c' 

Purchase by the user. The Guarante 
ag attached to each Spalding Law 
Tennis Racket reads as follows: II 
this Racket proves defective in workmanship or 
material within 30 days from date of purchase, 
please return, transportation charges prepaid, toany 
Spalding Store, and the defect will be rectified. Im- 
perfectly strung Rackets will be restrung, and in 
the event of a broken frame due to workmanship or 
defective material, the Racket will be replaced. 

NOTICE 

This Guarantee does not apply to Rackets weigh- 
ing less than 13 ounces. 



We urge that at the conclusion of play this 
Racket he rubbed dry, and when not in use be 
covered with a Waterproof Cover, placed in a 
Racket Press.and the guloccasionally varnished. 



No. 7. The Oval. Oval shape, good quality white ash 

frame, strung with special Oriental gut. Made with extra 

stringing in central portion of racket. . Each, SS2.50 

«=*=*> o s^s^s os==s=s 

THE following rackets are all excellent quality. Frames 

of the finest selected white ash, highly polished, with 

combed Spanish cedar handle, leather capped; stringing of 

good quality Oriental gut. 
No. 6. The Lakeside. . Each, $3.00 

No. 4. The Greenwood. ... " 2.00 

No. 3. The Geneva. ... "1 .50 



Spalding Junior Champion Racket 

Made particularly for juvenile use, with small grip and 
in weights from 10 to 12 ounces inclusive, only. Frame 
of selected white ash, highly polished Oriental gut 
stringing. A good playing racket for boys and girls. 
No. OJ. Each, S2.00 



PROMPT ATTENTION GIVEN TO 1 

ANT COMMUNICATIONS 

ADDRESSED TO US 



A. G.SPALDING & BROS. 

STORES IN ALL LARGE CITIES 



FOR COMPLETE LIST OF STORES 

SEE INSIDE FRONT COVER 

OF THIS BOOK 



r'nua in cj/c^l Januatu j, 19 / 0. J<jl/a< lu cAaqgp u»i/k.uI notice Jo, CanuaWl ft. 



al Lwiadian Lutulvgu. 



MHSiffig 



SUBSTITUTE 



jmrnmsmmmm 




Spalding Championship 



Tennis Ball perfect 



INFLATION 
COVERING 
SEWING 




ON the record made by 
the Spalding Cham- 
pionship Tennis Ball so far 
we are willing to base our 
claims for superiority, and 
wherever the ball is used, 
either in a tournament or 
regular play, we are certain 
our judgment will be con- 
firmed. Absolutely best in 
every particular of manufac- 
ture and made by people who 
have been in our employ, 
many of them, for twenty 
years and over, we place the 
Spalding Championship Ten- 
nis Ball before the most 
critical clientele in the. ath- 
letic world with perfect con- 
fidence that it will give ab- 
solute satisfaction. 

NO. 00. Per dozen, $5.00 



Wright & Dilson 
•Championship Tennis Ball 

No. 6. So well known that com- 
ment as to its qualities is unneces- 
sary. Per dozen, $5.5 O 
On orders for NOT less than 
1 gross. ' Per gross. $60.00 

Tournament Tennis Ball 

No. O. In the manufacture of the 

Spalding Championship Ball only 

those which are absolutely per- 
fect in every particular are allowed to pass, and the "culls" or "throw-outs" are stamped simply 
Tournament and do not bear the Spalding Trade-Mark. These balls will answer for practice or_ 
for children's use but should not be used for match play. Per dozen, $3.50 





PROMPT ATTENTION GIVEN TO | 

ANT COMMUNICATIONS 

ADDRESSED TO US 



A. G.SPALDING &, BROS. 

STORES IN ALL LARGE CITIES 



FOR COMPLETE LIST OF STORES 

SEE INSIDE FRONT COVER 

OF THIS BOOK 



ejfal /., 



/ 5. 1910. Subject to change without notice, Par Canadian prices tec special Canadian Catalogue 



™Milllil ! t 8 lftN 





Spalding Racket Covers 



\ 




u 

No. T No. 2 No. 14, No. GM No. S 

}Jo. O. Brown and mixed colored canvas cover, full size. Each, $ .35 
No. I. Soft felt cover, full size. .... .50 

No. 2. Good quality moleskin cover; well made and full size. I .OO 

No. GM. Good quality mackintosh material, and same exactly as we fur- 
nish with our Gold Medal Rackets. . . . Each.-SI.OO 

No. I 4. Canvas cover, neatly bound, with extra pocket to hold balls. I .OO 
No. 6. Stiff leather, for one racket. . . Each, 5.00 

No. 7. Stiff leather, for two rackets, " 7.00 



English Leather Tennis Bag 



Rackets Restrung 

We make a special- 
ty of restringing 
rackets of every 
known make. The 
work is done by our 
most scientific 
stringers, and none 
but first quality gut 
is used. When sending 
rackets to us to be rei 
strung be sure to pre- 
pay charges on the 
package and mark with 
your name and address. 
Writeus under separate 
cover full particulars 
regarding restringing. 




No. I, 



No. 3. 

only. 
No. 4. 




No. I 2. Made of special quality leather and 
with compartments to hold rackets, balls 
and suit Each, $12 OO 




Rubber Handle Cover 



No. 3. For covering racket 

handles to secure a better grip. Made of pure gum rubber, 

corrugated. Will give excellent satisfaction. _Each, 50c. 

Rubber Adhesive Tape for Racket Handle Grip 



No. A. Made especially for this purpose. 
Piece 4 feet long in individual box. 



1 inch wide. 
Each, lOc. 



Varnish to Preserve Stringing 

Apply immediately after playing, as it takes a little time to 
dry thoroughly. 2 ounce bottle of special quality varnish, 
complete with good brush in box. Per bottle, 25c. 

Spalding Lawn Tennis Score Books 

Official Lawn Tennis Score Book, paper cover, 16 sets'. I Oo . 
Extra Tennis Score Cards, 4 sets. Pet dozen, I Oo. 



Oriental Gut, White only. 

Each, $ I .OO 

No. 2. Lambs' Gut, White only. 

Each, SI.50 

Best Lambs' Gut, White 

.Each, S2.50 

Special Expert Stringing, 

White only. Each, $3.50 

Racket Presses 

The most effective press in use 

to-day. Rackets should be kept 

in one of them when not in use 

to prevent warping, especially 

when they have been exposed to 

moisture or used at the seashore. 

No. I R. Forone racket. $ I .OO 

No. 5R. Superior quality. Made 

of finely polished walnut, with 

brass fittings. Suitable for 

either one or two rackets. 

Each, $2.50 

Spalding "Club" Racket Press 

Invaluable for Clubs Conducting Tournaments. 
No. C-P. This isa most substantial affair and- 
is arranged for any number of rackets up 
to 24. The proper 
thi ng for clubs 
where it is necessary 
to keep a number 
of rackets in proper 
shape all the time. 
Each. $25. OO 




PROMPT ATTENTION GIVEN 10 1 
ANT COMMUNICATIONS 

ADDRESSED TO US 



A. G.SPALDING &. BROS. 

STORES IN ALL LARGE CITIES 



cjfclJanaan/S.I'JIU 



:r complete list of stores 

see inside front cover 
of this book 



special Canadian CalaUigu 



ISSeTHESPAIDING 



Spalding Hand Made Nets 



We recommend most strongly 
our hand made nets. Quality 
of material and workmanship 
is absolutely the best, and they are well worth many times the additional cost 
over the ordinary machine made styles on account of their greater durability. If 
posts are placed just 42 or 36 feet apart, nets will fit exactly when drawn taut* 



Spalding Patent Double Center Nets (Hand Made) R5SKS SSSTgf^. 1 




Cut Shous Double Center Net with No. A Posts and No. 3-0 Center Strap 



These have double twine knitted together from 11 to 13 feet, according to the size of the net. Will 

outlast two or more ordinary nets. 

White, 21 Thread, Double Court. each fl White, 15 Thread, Double Court. each 

No. 3D. 42 ft. x 3 ft., double center 13 ft. S6.50 No. 3C. 42 ft. x 3 ft., double center 13 ft. $4.60 

No. 2D. 36 ft. x 3 ft., double center 11 ft. 6.00 li No. 2.C. 36 ft. x 3 ft, double center 11 ft. 4.00 

Spalding Canvas Bound Nets NOT Double Center 

Top bound with heavy 2-inch canvas strip. 
No. 3B. Double Court, hand made, 42 ft. x3 ft., 21 thread, white. 
No. 2B. Double Court, hand made, 36 ft. x 3 ft, 21 thread, white. 



Each, $4. BO 
4.0Q 



Spalding Machine Made Nets 




Top and bottom bound with heavy cotton rope— White. 
No. I. Single Court, 27 ft. , 12 thread. Each. 9 I. OO 
No. 2. Double Court, 36ft, ISthread. 1 .26 



No. 3. Double Court, 42ft., 15 thread.. 



Cut Shows Canvas Bound Net with No. C. Posts and No. 2-0 Center Strip 

Top bound with heavy 2-inch canvas strip— White. 

No. 2 A. Double Court, 36 ft, 15 thread. Each, 9 I .76 



1 .60 llNo.3A. Double Court. 42 ft. ISthread. 



a.oo 



PROMPT ATTENTION GIVEN TO I 

ANY COMMUNICATIONS 

AOOBESSED TO US 



A. G.SPALDING & BROS. 

STORES IN ALL LARGE CITIES 



)R COMPLETE LIST OF STORES 
SEE INSIDE FRONT COVER 
OF THIS BOOK 



effect July 5. 1910. 



notice. For Canadian prices sec special Canadian Catalogue. 



ACCEPT NO 



lEl'l-fllll'll 3 



ilW'IW 




SPALDI NG CLUB NET S ?-^Jn^ 

BLACK NETS supplied by us were used in some of the most important tournaments last season and gave 
perfect satisfaction. Players appreciate the advantage which a black net gives in showing out the 
[white ball more distinctly while playing. Nets are dyed with fast coloring matter and by a special process 
[which adds to their durability. Bound at top with a doubled band of 8 ounce white duck, 2 inches wide and 
equipped with heavy tarred manila ropes at top and bottom. 




Cut shows Club Net with No. B Posts and No. 3-0 Center Strap 



Spalding Club Nets -Black Twine 
(Hand Made) 

No. 2-0. 36 ft x 3^ ft, 21 thread, double center 

11 ft, black twine, hand made Each, S7.00 

No. 3-0. 42 ft. x 3*j ft, 21 thread, double center 

13 ft, black twine, hand made Each,$7.50 

No. 4-0. 36 ftx3% ft, 30 thread, singlecenter, black 

twine, hand made. . Each,$7.00 

No 6-0. 42ft.x3', ft, 30 thread, single center, black 

twine, hand made. . . Each,$7.60 



Spalding Tarred Nets 

These tarred nets are hand made, bound with 10 ounce 

duck at top. Full measurement as listed below. 
No. 6-0. 33 ft. x3*4 ft, 21 thread Each, S7.50 
No. 7-0. 42ft. 6in.x3'i ft, 21 thread. " 9.00 



We supply lengths of H-inch galvan- 
ized steel cable, consisting of five 
strands of seven wires each, twisted 
tightly, but very pliable, to be used 
instead of regular manila top rope, 
arranged with metal loop at each 
end and loop-spliced manila rope to 
fasten to posts. This is the most 
satisfactory and durable style of top rope made and 
is used on the courts of the most prominent clubs in 
this country. ... . Each, S3. SO 




Spalding Twine Nets for Backstops 

No. 4. Machine Made, White, 50 feet long, 7 feet 
high, 9 thread. . . Each, S2.50 

No. 6. Machine Made, White, 50 feet long, 8 feet 
high, 12 thread. . Each, S3.50 

No. 5X. Tarred, Machine Made, 50 feet long, 8 feet 
high, 12 thread. Each, S4.00 




Spalding Backstop Post 

No. BS. Backstop Post only; wooden. Each, S 1 .26 

Spalding Guy Hopes and Pegs 

No. 3. For use with Backstop Posts ; cotton ropes, 
fancy pegs. For one pair of Posts. Per set. 85c. 



PROMPT ATTENTION GIVEN TO | 

ANY COMMUNICATIONS 
AODRESSEO TO US 



A. G.SPALDING & BROS. 

STORES IN ALL LARGE CITIES 



FOR COMPLETE LIST OF STORES 

SEE INSIDE FRONT COVER 

OF THIS BOOH 



£nm in. <J1«1 January 5,IVIU. i'ui/e. 



1 puces see special Canadian LalaJvgu 



■ - -U. , i- I~ = ==== 

Spalding Lawn Tennis Posts 



'rw^nnr^Pi 



Spalding 

"Championship" 

Tennis Posts 

This style post is really the 
most practical ever made and 
is in use on the courts of the 
most prominent clubs 
in this country. 

The uprights are 
made of heavy 2-inch 
japanned iron piping, 
pointed at lower end 
so as to go 24 inches 
into ground and equip- 
ped with wheel at top. 
, Ratchet for tighten- 
ing net is of an im- 
proved style, neat in 
appearance but with 
a particularly strong 
leverage. Iron hooks 
and cleats for fasten- 
ing ropes. 




One of the special 
features of this style 
post, outside of the 
ratchet, is the method 
of ensuring absolute 
rigidity when net is in 
position. By means of triple 
claw clutches, made of heavy 
wrought iron, there can be 
no shifting or shaking once 
they are placed in position, 
and the tighter the net is 
drawn the more rigid the 
posts become. 
No. A. . Per pair, S20.00 



\jf^J){J^J\Jj 



SPALDING 

"AUTO-LOC" 

H TENNIS POSTS 

Fitted with Patented "Auto-Loc" 
lightening Ratchet 

These are absolutely the highest 
grade wooden posts made. We rec- 
ommend them especially for private 
courts or wherever it is desirable to 
remove posts after play is finished. 
The "Auto-Loc" tightening ratchet 
is a patented device which permits 
the closest adjustment in tighten- 
ing and regulating the height of the 
net, and locks automat- 
ical and instantly as 
soon as released. 

The spade-shaped 
iron sockets with 
which these posts are 
equipped are driven 
into the ground in the 
proper position for the 
posts, which are fitted 
with iron bases termin- 
ating in square iron 
extensions which fit ex- 
actly the sockets in 
the spade bases and 
keep the posts abso- 
^ lutely rigid when 

|| placed in position. 

II When posts are re- 

V moved from sockets 
there is no project- 
ing obstruction, anc" 
we furnish a 
block of wood 
to be inserted 
in the hole in 
each socket asj 
soon as the j| 
postsaretaken n 
up. We also B 
furnish hooks 
with handles 
for removing U 
sockets from 
ground when- 
ever it may be 
necessary to 
do so. 

No. AL. Pair, $18.00 





(ry^H(f\r^ 



The 

Spalding "Club' 

Tennis Posts 

To ensure absolute 
rigidity, a prime 
requisite in a ten- 
nis post, it is really 
necessary that 
some part of the 
post itself should 
go into theground, 
Our "Club" Ten- 
nis posts are made 
on this principle 
and of best quality; 
2i-in. square ash, 
nicely polished and., 
varnished, equip- 
ped with japanned 
braces so as to 
make posts ab- 
solutely 
rigid, and 
when set 
in position the 
posts extend 30 
inches into the 
ground. 
We call particular atten 
tion to the extra heavy brass 
ratchet with which we equip 
this style post. It is made 
after an English design and 
is the same as supplied by 
our London House to some 
of the best clubs in Great 
Britain. 

No. B. 
Per pair, SIO.OO 




PROMPT ATTENTION GIVEN TO 

ANY COMMUNICATIONS 

ADDRESSED TO US 



A.G.SPALDING &, BROS. 

STORES IN ALL LARGE CITIES 



c flR COMPLETE LIST Of STORES 
, SEE INSIDE FRONT COVER 
I* OF THIS BOOK 



"Elica imffal IqnugnL 5,L9I0. Su^ecUvjJtun^e {vilhoul notice. _Fm Qanadion {/tejjcejfscto/ ChWmb Catalan* 



ACCEPT NO 
SUBSTITUTE 



THE SPALDING 



^gsg^C 



'TRADEMARK 



GUARANTEES 
QUALITY 



A properly equipped Lawn Tennis Court needs properly made Posts, 
something more than two sticks of wood 



Spalding 

"Casino" 
Tennis Posts 

No. C. Extra heavy 
square wood post, 
painted red and nice- 
ly varnished and 
striped. Pulley 
wheel at top of each 
post to take top cord 
of net, and reel of 
improved pattern, to 
tighten net, 
, attached to one 
post. Has extra 
heavy japanned iron 
brackets to steady 
post and extends 
30 inches into the 
No. c ground when set up. 
Per pair, S7.5Q 



Guy Ropes and Pegs 
jj for Tennis Nets 

No. I . Cotton ropes, plain 
f&Q. pegs. Set, 25c 

lyfXii.2. Cottonropes, 
^3K* plain pegs. 
'SMS Per set, SOc. 

No. 3. Cotton ropes, fancy pegs. 
(No. 3 will Per set, 85c. 
answer for Backstop Nets.'' 




Spalding 
Tennis Poles 

No. E. Finely polished, 
solid, spiked tennis 
poles. Packed complete 
with guy ropes and pegs. 

Per pair, S2.00 
No. F. Good quality solid 
tennis poles. Packed com- 
plete with guy ropes and 
pegs. Per pair, 9 1 .OO 



' 



Indoor Tennis Poles 

No. G. Made with iron 
base and spike to fit into 
iron plates in the floor. 
Complete with plates, tees, 
guy ropes and everything 
necessary for setting up. 
Per pair, S2.50 



Spalding 

"Side Line" Tennis Posts 

No. SL. By using these posts it is 
possible on a court laid out with posts 
and net for ' ' doubles " to put the net 
at the proper height for a single 
court game and that without taking 
down net or removing regular double 
court posts. " Per pair, 7 5c. 



Canvas Center Strap 



No. 2-0. This device for holding 
center of net at regulation height, 
three feet, is vastly superior to the 
ordinary center iron, does not chafe 
the net, and cannot possibly cause 
the ball to glance off and strike out 
of court. Each, $ I .OO 

No. 3-0. Tournament Pattern, same as No. 2-0, only fitted with a 
turn-buckle, with which height of net can be adjusted to a hair. Very 
desirable for tournament or match games. Each, $ 1 .25 




Iron Center Forks 
Ho. 2. Good quality, iron fork. '. _. . 



Spalding 

Tennis Posts 

No. D. Square post 
of wood, handsomely 
painted in red with 
black striping; jap- 
anned iron bracket 
braces to steady 
poles, which are in- 
serted 24 inches 
into the 
ground. No 
guy ropes are 
necessary with these 
tennis posts. 

Per pair, $4.00 



Reels for Tennis Posts 

QftsaS No. L. 
/" ^f^^lf "Autoloc " Pat- 
/ 13 ii/ll e»ted Reel for 
l "J® Tennis Posts. 
VJA^Ts Made with auto- 
No- I- matic locking 
ratchet device, which makes it 
possible to adjust height of net 
to a hair and locks automatically 
at place set. Each, $5.00 




No. R. Regulation style, jap- 
anned finish, wooden handle. 
Each, SI .50 



Each. 8 I .OO No. 



Pulleys and Axles 

No. O. Japannedpulleys, com- 
plete with axles, for top of ten- 
2 nis posts,. Per pair, 38c. 



PROMPT ATTENTION GIVEN TO | 

ANY COMMUNICATIONS 

ADORESSED TO US 



A. G.SPALDING & BROS. 

STORES IN ALL LARGE CITIES 



FOR COMPLETE LIST OF STORES 

SEE INSIDE FRONT COVER 

OF THIS BOOK 



effect January 5,1910. Subject to change without notice. For Canadian prices see special Canadian Catalogs 



ACCEPT NO 

SUBSTITUTE 



THE SPALDING 



•TRADEMARK 



GUARANTEES 
QUALITY 




Columbia Tennis Marker 

For Grass Courts only. 

No. I . Makes a clean even ribbon line, 
with contact in full view Each, S5.00 

Duplex Tennis Marker 

For Grass Courts only. 

No. O. A practical wet marker at a 

moderate price. Simple in construction, 

easy to operate and substantially made. 

Each, $3.50 



Spalding Dry Tennis Markers 

'For Dirt Courts only. 

No. 3. No mixing of material. Uses marble 
dust and slaked lime, etc. Made substantially 
of iron, nicely japanned. The best dry tennis 
marker made. Each, $2.00 

No. 2. Same as No. 3. but smaller size and 
lighter material. Each, S I .OO 








Spalding Portable Marking Tapes 

No. 3. For Single Court, 100 
staples and pins, Set, S3.50 
•- No. 4. For Double Court, 200 
staples and 14 pins. Set,S4^00 
No. 6. For Double Court, extra quality canvas, complete with 200 
Staples and 14 pins. .... Per set, S6.00 

No. S. Extra Staples. ... Per 100. .BO 

Spalding Marking Plates 

Tor permanently marking the angles of a court. Made of malleable 

rx!^ iron and painted white. A set consists of eight 
^nf^S^ corner and two T pieces. 

< Y N^ No. I. With separate pins. Perset, SI.OO 



No. 2. With wedge pins attached 



I.60 




Spalding 
Wet Spray" 
Tennis 

Marker 



For Gra 
Courts 

only. 




No. X. 
Simple but 
effective. Flow 
of liquid under 
instant control 
from handle. 
Makes an even 
line of uniform 
width. No ribbon; 
liquid flows directly 
on wheel. 



Each, $5.00 




Spalding Tether Tennis Game 

No. I . Tether Tennis Ball and Cord, regular tennis ball with 
twine knitted cover). Each, $ I .OO 

No. O. Tether Tennis Ball and Cord, light filled ball with canvas 
cover and loop Made specially for playground use Each. $ I .OO 

No. 2. Tether Pole, 14 feet. 1.75 

No. TP. Tether Pole, 12 feet above ground. Galyanized steel pole. 
Made specially for playground use. ... Each, $ I O.OO 

No. 5. Marking Ropes for circle and dividing line, with staples. 



Per set, S I .OO 



OSE 



Spalding "Patent Angle" Steel Measuring Tapes 

Especially adapted for laying out tennis courts and all kinds 
of athletic fields. With this tape one person can easily secure 
accurate right angles, yet the tape is equal to any 
other for straight measuring also. Complete 
directions showing how to obtain accurate right _^_ 
angles furnished with every tape. Enclosed. _r5_3 
in hard leather case, flush handles, all mount- "2 

ings nickel-plated. Accuracy guaranteed. 
No. A. 50 feet, Each. S4.00 ) No. B. 100 feeU 




PROMPT ATTENTION GIVEN TQ | 

(NT COMMUNICATIONS 

ADDRESSED TO US 



A.G.SPALDING <&, BROS. 

STORES IN ALL LARGE CITIES 




I Jviiwiy 5, IV 10. Subject lo cAonjc wilhoul notice^ For Canadian prices sec special Canadian Catalegw 



ACCEPT NO 
SUBSTITUTE 



*v;j|i]kM«(^M;?ji]aflM;^ 



GUARANTEES 



Spalding Lawn Tennis Shoes 





No. AH. High cut, russet leather, with best red rubber 
flat sole. Hand sewed and of absolutely best grade 
material throughout. Per pair. S5.BO 



No. A. Low cut, russet leather, with best red 
rubber flat sole. Hand sewed, quality same as 
No. AH Per pair, SS.OO 



X N 



/ > 





NO..CH 



NO. C 



NO. D 



No. CH. High cut, best white can- 
vas, fine quality white rubber flat 
sole. Hand sewed. Pair, S6.00 



No. C. Low cut, best white can- 
vas, fine quality white rubber flat 
sole. . Per pair, $3. 50 



No. D. Low cut, white canvas, 
red rubber flat sole. 

Per pair, $ 1 .60 



Spalding Sweat Band Useful for players who are obliged to wear eye glasses 
and who are troubled in play with perspiration dropping on them and blurring the 
vision. Used by some of the most prominent players, No. I. Each, BOc. 



PROMPT ATTENTION GIVEN TO | 

ANT COMMUNICATIONS 

ADDRESSED TO US 



A. G. SPALDING & BROS. 

STORES IN ALL LARGE CITIES * 



FOR COMPLETE LIST Of STORES 

SEE INSIDE FRONT COVER 

Of THIS BOOH 



tjtcMI in <Ht<t /ui.uury 5,1910. Suhjcct lu itangr uilhuul nolke 



' Canadian prn.es jce jpcuu/ Canadian Catal^gui 



su™ THE SPALDING 



'TRADE-MARK E Bn 



Spalding Squash Tennis 




Players in the United 
States are rapidly com- 
ing to the conclusion 
that it is not necessary 
to send to the other side 
for Squash Rackets. 
The leading players are 
now using Spalding 
goods with general sat- 
isfaction, and we look 
for a still further in- 
crease in the number of 
users this season owing 
to certain improvements 
introduced into the de- 
tails of manufacture. 

»— " »- " »" " — " ■■" Spalding Squash Tennis Rackets ■ » - « . . w «j 

The heads of these rackets have been changed slightly to a more rounded shape. Frames 

of the finest selected wlyteash, bound at shoulders, finished with rounded edges, high polish. 

No. 18. Strung with white oriental gut, patent rubber "abrasive" grip. . v . Each, S3. OO 

No. 19. Strung with best white lambs' gut, combed cedar handle " 3.60 

No. 20. Strung with best white lambs' gut, patent rubber "abrasive" grip. . ... " 4.00 

Spalding Squash Tennis Balls 

Are finest quality material and workmanship throughout. It will pay you to try them if •you are not already 
familiar with their good points. The idea of the (overspun) cover, knitted on the ball and with no seams 

to rip, is original with us and is a valuable improvement. 
No. O. Spalding Championship Overspun Squash Tennis Balls (Patented.) \Vhite or Green covering. 

Per dozen, $7.20 

Spalding Squash Racquets 

No. I 7. Bats made of finest selected ash ; strung with best quality 
mg - ^i.y^i £"*■> g ri P wound with white 
B* * ^ s(-J kid ; best grade throughout. 

"Each, S5.00 
No. S. Imported best quality l'Vie inch rubber balls; black. " .25 

Spalding Superior Squash Shoe 

No. BG. Low cut, with special fine 
white buck uppers and pure Para rubber 
flat sole, hand sewed and superior quality 
throughout. Best and most satisfactory 
Squash Shoe made. Per pair, S7.50 

Spalding Squash Tennis Shoe 

No. AG. Low cut, mauve buck leather 
uppers, reinforced with red leather, and 
pure Para rubber flat sole, provided with 
a suction arrangement on the bottom to 
secure a good footing. Absolutely high 
grade throughout. ' „Per pair, SO.OO 



A.G.SPALDING & BROS. 

STORES IN ALL LARGE CITIES 







'£lta UisIfKt Janugrn5j L9IQ X Subject to cfiange vilbwf iwlies, » Fo£_Qjna&gn fnict&jssjgsual Cana<fioflCufa4>£us. 



THE SPALDING^fe^TRADE-MARK 

GUARANTEES ISMbl ACCEPT NO 
■-* QUALITY X£r 4F> i2r SUBSTITUTE — 



REG. U. S. PAT. OFF. 



Spalding 
Offieial 
National 
League" 

REG. U. S 

Ball 



OFFICIAL BALL 
OF THE GAME 

FOR OVER 
THIRTY YEARS 



Adopted by the 
National League in 
1878, and the only 
ball used in Cham- 
pionship g a m e a 
since that time. Each ball wrapped in tinfoil, packed in a separate box, 
and sealed in accordance with the latest League regulations. Warranted 
to last a full game when used under ordinary conditions. 

No. 1. Each, $1.25 Per dozen, $15.00 




London, 
England 



Birmingham, 
England 



Communications addressed to 



A. G. SPALDING & BROS. 

in any of the following cities will receive attention.. 
For sired numbers see inside front cover of this book. 



Edinburgh, 
Scotland 



Sydney, 
Australia 



New York 
Boston 
Syracuse 

Buffalo 



Philadelphia 
Pittsburg 
Baltimore 



Washington 

Atlanta 
New Orleans 



Montreal, Canada 



Chicago 
Cincinnati 
Cleveland 
Columbus 



St. Louis 

Kansas City 

Denver 

Detroit 



San Francisco 

Seattle 

Minneapolis 

St. Paul 



Prices in effect January 5, 1910'. Subject to change without notice. 



ACCEPT NO 
SUBSTITUTE 



THE SPALDING 



TRADEMARK 



pVSS^MF 



■s^gs»c^^S" 



^^SS> 



The Spalding Official 

Intercollegiate 

Foot Ball 




This is the ONLY OFFICIAL COLLEGE FOOT BALL, and is used in every important match played 
in this country. Guaranteed absolutely if seal of box is unbroken. We pack with 
leather case and guaranteed pure Para rubber bladder (no composition), an inflater, lacing needle and 
rawhide lace. - - 

= No. J5. - Complete, $5.00 ___ 



«9 



WE GUARANTEE every Spalding Foot Ball to be perfect 
in material and workmanship and correct in shape and size 
when inspected at our factory. If any defect is discovered dur- 
ing the first game in which it is used, or during the first day's 
practice use, and if returned at once, we will replace same under 
this guarantee. We do not guarantee against ordinary wear nor 
against defect in shape or size that is not discovered immedi- 
ately after the first day's use. 

Owing to the superb quality of every Spalding Foot Ball, 
our customers have grown to expect a season's use of one ball, 
and at times make 
unreasonable claims 
under our guarantee 
which we will not 
allow. 




*f^/£*V 



n^E&eSS&am 



■ff^i^ti 



PROMPT ATTENTION GIVEN TO | 

ANY COMMUNICATIONS 
ADDRESSED TO US 



A. G. SPALDING & BROS. 

STORES IN ALL LARGE CITIES 



FOR COMPLETE LIST OF STORES 
_ SEE INSIDE FRONT COVER 
OF THIS BOM 



'£fices in ejfect January 5, 1910, Subject to change without notice. For Canadian prices see special Canadian Catalogue 



WE following selection ot items from their latest Catalogue will give an 
idea ol the great variety ot ATHLETIC GOODS manufactured by A. G. 
SPALDING & BROS. SEND FOR A FREE COPY. 



Archery 

Bags- 
Bat 

Cricket 
Striking 
Uniform 

Balls- 
Base 
Basket 
Cricket 
Field Hockey 
Foot, College 
Foot, Rugby 
Foot, Soccer 
Golf 
Hand 
Indoor 
Medicine 
Playground 
Squash 
Tennis 
Volley 
Water Polo 

Bandages, Elastic 

Bathing Suits 

Bats- 
Base Ball 
Cricket 

Belts 

Caps — 
Base Ball 
University 
Water Polo 

Chest Weights 

Circle, Seven-Foot 

Coats, Base Ball 

Collars, Swimming 

Corks, Running 

Covers, Racket 

Cricket Goods 

Croquet Goods 

Discus, Olympic 

Dumb Bells 

Emblems 

Equestrian Polo 

Exerciser, Home 

Felt Letters 

Fencing Sticks 

Field Hockey 

Flags- 
College 

Foul. Base Ball 
Marking, Golf 

Foils. Fencing 

Foot Balls- 
Association 
College 
Rugby 

Glasses, Base Ball 
Sun 
Automobile 



Gloves — 
Base Ball 
Boxing 
Cricket 
Fencing 
Foot Ball 
Golf 

Handball 
Hockey, Ice 

Glove Softener 

Goals — 
Basket Ball 
Foot Ball 
Hockey, Ice 

Golf Clubs 

Golf Counters 

Golfette 

Gymnasium, Home 

Gymnasium Board 

Hammers, Athletic 

Hats, University 

Head Harness 

Health Pull 

Hockey Sticks, Ice 

Hole Cutter, Golf 

Hole Rim, Golf 

Horse, Vaulting 

Hurdles, Safety 

Hurley Goods 

Indian Clubs 

Jackets — 
Fencing 
Foot Ball 

Javelins 

Jerseys 

Knee Protectors 

Iiacrosse 

Lanes for Sprints 

Lawn Bowls 

Leg Guards- 
Base Ball 
Crieket 
Foot Ball 

Markers, Tennis 

Masks- 
Base Ball 
Fencing 
Nose [inal 

Masseur, Abdom 

Mattresses 

Megaphones 

Mitts- 
Base Ball 
Handball 
Striking Bag 

Moccasins 

Nets- 
Cricket 
Golf Driving 
Tennis 
Volley Ball 



Numbers, Compet- 
Pads — [ i tors' 

Chamois, Fencing 

Foot Ball 

Sliding, Base Ball 
Pants- 
Base Ball 

Basket Ball 

Foot Ball, College 

Foot Ball, Rugby 

Hockey, Ice 

Running 
Pennants, College 
Plates — 

Base Ball Shoe 

Home 

Marking, Tennis 

Pitchers' Box 

Pitchers' Toe 

Teeing, Golf 
Platforms, Striking 

Bag 
Poles — 

Vaulting 
Polo, Roller. Goods 
Posts — 

Backstop, Tennis 

Lawn Tennis 
Protectors — 

Abdomen 

Base Ball Body 

Eye Glass 
Push Ball 
Quoits 

Rackets, Tennis 
Rings— 

Exercising 

Swinging 
Rowing Machines 
Roque 
Sacks, for Sack 

Racing 
Score Board, Golf 
Score Books- 
Score Tablets, Base 
Shirts- [Ball 

Athletic 

Base Ball 
Shoes — 

Base Ball 

Basket Ball 

Bowling 

Clog 

Cross Country 

Cricket 

Fencing [ation 

Foot Ball, Associ- 

Foot Ball, College 

Foot Ball, Rugby 

Foot Ball, Soccer 

Golf 

Gymnasium 



Shoes — 

Jumping 

Running 

Skating 

Squash 

Tennis 
Shot- 
Athletic 

Indoor 

Massage 
Skates — 

Ice 

Roller 
Skis 

Sleeve, Pitchers 
Snow Shoes 
Squash Goods 
Straps— 

Base Ball 

For Three- 
Legged Race 

Skate 
Stockings 
Striking Bags 
Suits — 

Basket Ball 

Gymnasium 

Gymnasium, 
Ladies' 

Running 

Soccer 

Swimming 

Union Foot 
Ball 
Supporters 

Ankle 

Wrist 
Suspensories 
Sweaters 
Tether Tennis 
Tights - 

Full 

W restling 

Knee 
Toboggans 
Trapeze 
Trunks- 
Bathing 

Velvet 

Worsted 
Umpire Indica- 
Uniforms [tor 
Wands, Calis- 

thenic 
Watches, Stop 
Water Wings 
Weights, 56-lb. 
Whitely Exer- 
cisers 
Wrestli n g 

Equipment 



JUL 23 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



Standard 




005 900 302 1 



A Standard Quality must be inseparably linked to a Standard Policy 
™™t£nTs^f^ St * ndard MerCantile PoIicy ' * i8 ™ P ossibie for a manufacturer to long 

we/aX^^ 

set a proportionately high lisfprice on his goods to the consumer manufacturer is obliged to 

iobbI^«^ 

rraIr d frl e ?he h reS faCtUrer *" ""»* * ^ L ™ the iA^SjSE^^TS 

re^S^iS^^&Z 5ifth^ P Ccy & £2? <° *" C °™' ^ *" "* «* * 

can by offering special discounts," which vary with local trade conditions S,tuatlon as best ne 
a «,,™H k ♦ .l yStelp ° f merchandising, the profits to both the manufacturer and the jobber are 

This demoralization always reacts on the manufacturer. The jobber insists on lower and ..till 
lower, prices. The manufacturer in his turn, meets this demand for the lowering ^oHrices bv the 
only way open to h.m, viz. : the cheapening and degrading of the quality of ^product. P * ^ 

the foregoing conditions became so intolerable that ten vears am in isqq a r c„„u- 

SnSSlMEZffl by W the Fetail dea,er is aSSUred a fair?le% a Seand 
protected f romtapoS. * ^ ^ ^ C ° nSUmer 1S aSSUFed a Standard « uali * and is 

and lets 'i'n S two wfy^"^" " decidedly for the intere3t and protection of the users of Athletic Goods. 

FiRST-The user is assured of genuine Official Standard Athletic Goods, and 

the same fixed prices to everybody 
Second-As manufacturers, we can proceed with confidence in purchasing at 
the proper time, the very best raw materials required in the manufacture 
of our various goods, well ahead of their respective seasons, and this enables 
Standa P rd°of Qual?t" eCeSSary quantity and absolutely maintain the Spalding 
r-nlarnH^i^T hand ! in S Spalding Athletic'Goods are required to supply consumers at our 

^^ ?$$££££?$£££ nor less - the same prices that sLilar ««* « 5* 

^S^^^SA'^^i?^^^ G °° dS ' m treat6d eXaCt ' y alike ' and " 
* Rr^ Slt nv e ^'„ n ^ b f°i dy - ; no t f ven officers ' ma pagers, salesmen or other employes of A. G. Spalding 
fromthe £3L ca^gSe priced PerS ° nal ^^ «*" bUy Spa ' ding Ath1 *" Goods at a dfscoun! 
V^^^^^'MSSlff^^^ has a, « a <* b <*» «■ -cessfu. operation for the 
In other words, " The Spalding Policy " is a "square deal " for everybody. 



A. G. SPALDING & BROS. 

By <Z$"k&"2^^>*f. 

PRESIDENT, \m* 



